The Birthday Massacre - Pins And Needles Album Review - REDEFINE magazine - music art film journalism

I was initially inclined to hate this record, but I found myself humming along by the second track. Seriously. Make no mistake that there’s an audience for a band like The Birthday Massacre and their fourth album, Pins and Needles.

Less on the heavy rock and more with an emphasis on their pop stylings, The Birthday Massacre finds themselves in a unique position to essentially rebrand their band along the lines of a new wave act. While female-fronted bands like Paramore have eaten up precious air time with an imitative sound, The Birthday Massacre looks to acts like Martika and Depeche Mode, which is far more refreshing than ripping off Fall Out Boy.

This is particularly apparent on “Always,” which is by far the catchiest tune on the album and could’ve easily been on the Labyrinth soundtrack. The album’s centerpiece, “Shallow Grave,” is something that could find the band alongside a band like Metric or The Killers.

With its Mark Ryden-esque cover art and epic goth aesthetic, it’s easy to pawn The Birthday Massacre off as another black leather-clad band without direction, but the surprising melodic sound of Pins And Needles suggests that this band is beyond pre-judgments and shitty stereotypes.