Blake Rascals Release New Single ‘Blackout Parade’

30 Jan

A New Year is always one of the most exciting times for the music industry, bringing undiscovered sounds and freshly uncovered talent to the surface, and it hasn’t taken long for an emerging band to fall into my lap.

Our first review of the year comes from the recommendation of Daniel Sedgwick - radio presenter, manager and the man behind Revo Pro, a Scottish label working with some incredibly talented new names: Flair, The Marches and now the newest addition to their roster, Blake Rascals.

An Italian-born, UK-based indie and garage rock trio, Blake Rascals are ‘the product of suburbia's noise and the love for William Blake's visionary poetry’. Formed in the Ancona province in central Italy by Giuseppe Palumbo (vocals and guitar), Andrea Marcellini (bass and backing vocals) and Simone Raggetti (drums and backing vocals) before setting up base in the UK, their sound draws from post-punk revival influences and the heavy hitters of the British indie rock scene. The union of romantic visions, street life, stories told late at night and cigarettes smoked against the wind, the three-piece are noted as a ‘scratched film in which every note is a frame stolen from the night, between half-filled cups and streetlamps that shiver in the rain, like dreams on the verge of collapse’.

Dark, poetic and visual, the trio are undoubtedly carving a strong brand, and have been warmly tipped for fans of Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The White Stipes, The Hives, The Libertines and The Raconteurs. Debuting last July with ‘Conspiracy of Snakes’, a riff-heavy track featuring energetic distorted guitars combined with a British-style melodic sensibility that plunged listeners into a refined and visceral noir. The ever-important debut presented a gleaming window into a very promising output. If you were on a battle of the bands lineup with Blake Rascals and they opened with this, your hands would be sweating. A carefully selected debut that very much delivered the goods.

With their sights now set on a prosperous 2026, the track to kick off a defining year for Blake Rascals is ‘Blackout Parade’, released today (January 30th). Whilst their first two singles frame their noir-indie sound, ‘Blackout Parade’ brings some colour to the canvas and ups the energy. Poised with what we anticipate will be their characteristic dark, somewhat menacing demeanor, the single opens with no time to wait - pounding snare and an urgent static guitar-and-bass rhythm in unison calls for Giuseppe Palumbo’s Alex Turner-tinted vocals to answer, which he does with a tenebrous type of gusto.

Their longest single thus far, finishing at the four-minute mark, the trio took the opportunity to pack a lot into this release, and build what will become a very well-rounded setlist.

With three releases under their belt, we’ve been given the sufficient mouthfuls and the time in between releases to digest the vision of Blake Rascals. Enigmatic yet suave, this trio have introduced themselves as a well-oiled machine and a strong new name to check out this year on your pilgrimage for new music. ‘Blackout Parade’ is the lightning strike that hotly follows two thunderous past singles, and the band appear cool, calm and collected to navigate the storm they have made. Their furtive nature may make for some recherché surprises for the average indie or alternative fan, but we positively look forward to this trio’s next steps.