Don’t let the misleading title of this song and band steer you away from it’s true identity. “Blood” is a soft tale of enduring, inescapable love in the midst of the most tragic of life stories. Despite the formidable bond the song describes between each principle figure and his significant other, each woeful protagonist spends his entire life trying to remove himself from any remnants of his shattered partnership. The only solace each person can find is in the realization that they cannot do anything about their calamitous situation, which ironically is followed by mindlessly joyful choirs of wordless cheers.

“Blood” sits in an interesting spot somewhere between blues, folk, alternative, ambient, and indie rock, thusly being lazily categorized within an individualized niche listening market. In my experience sharing this song in the past, some people find it to be one of the best post-emo songs they’ve ever heard, while others struggle to wrap their heads around a song they feel tries to cover too many bases. Lead singer Jordan Ireland’s voice is tough to decipher in it’s high mumbled tone, but I encourage listeners to simultaneously read through the lyrics to “Blood” as they listen along. Powerful lines sneak past listeners under Ireland’s murmured pitch, many of which are piercing in their directly realistic look into deep and common holes of self-loathing. Though extensive, the final group of verses are haunting in their transition from pessimistic rationalism into incredibly dark optimism. Even after the singing ends, the last three chord strums calmly scream that through the thick and problematic muck of life, everything’s going to be just fine. Strange how such a sad song can be so beautiful.