Porstmouth quartet Call Of Sirens have crafted a raw and engaging punk rock sound that offers elements of mainstream music with a heavier edge. Their sound is led by powerful vocals and punky instrumentals, which they describe as “attitude, emotive and different.”
Call Of Sirens was born out of a post-pandemic project started by guitarist Andy Bawden and founding bassist Nick Karp. Over the next two years, they worked with various singers and drummers until June 2023, when the band went into hiatus due to various personal priorities. But a few months later, Andy decided he wasn’t finished and reformed the band with the new lineup of vocalist Emily Marden, bassist Josh Lebow and drummer Matt Hance.
As Andy tells us: “After finding a new amazing lineup, we started to put our collective energies into writing new material as well as relaunching ourselves as a band. In 2024, we have written, recorded, released and gigging, and we are very much ‘back in action.'”
And on the sound of the reformed band, Andy adds: “This is a tough one as every band likes to say their sound is unique. I think we have elements in our songs that people will enjoy – great vocals, solid song craft, mainstream sounds, heaviness at times, screaming vocals also, just to name a few elements. We honestly don’t try to pigeonhole ourselves. We just write what we write and play what we play, and if people like it then great.”
Our latest sound of this is new single Puppeteer, which was released on Friday (8 November). It opens up with laid-back vocals “You leave me here tied to your puppet strings, Hiding behind, Scared to leave my nightmare.” Stabs of guitar come in as the vocals continue, building up to a more intense chorus of “Chaos fucking breeds, Let me free, let me free, I need to break free, From your fucking strings, You are no, Puppeteer.”
A second chorus drops into a slower section of impassioned vocals “Broken and beaten, Battered and bruised, You left me lying here, With a crippling fear, Am I amusing you? Is this what you wanted? For me to be your puppet? Please release your strings.” That ends with powerful cries of “To get away from you” to bring the track to a dramatic conclusion.
On the new track, Andy told us: “We are very excited for people to hear it. It’s probably the most mainstream-sounding song we have written as a band to date, and stands apart as a more audibly accessible tune to some of the other new material we are currently writing. Expect a sound that’s new and yet familiar. We hope you like it.” Check it out in the stream below:
Puppeteer follows on from Disengage, the first song released with the current lineup. It opens up with stabbing guitars and engaging vocals, which intensify into a big singalong chorus of “All I really want, is to feel free, Let me escape, I need to get, Away, let me disengage, Body, mind and soul, Oh I really fucking need to disengage” supported by driving drums and guitars. An extended second chorus drops into a lone baseline, which continues under a cool little guitar riff and Sophie’s cries of “I need to disengage.” Check it out in the stream here:
We also fully recommend checking out the band’s previous music, including the fantastic Kenopsia, which comes from last year’s debut EP Gaia.
Call Of Sirens draws influence from the likes of Flyleaf, Halestorm, Paramore, Skunk Anansie, The Pretty Reckless and Evanescence. Andy explains: “We take influence from all of these amazing female-fronted bands for sure, but we also try to and our own style and substance to the music we create. As individuals, we each have a wider range of music and non-musical influences, both inside alternative and mainstream music spheres.”
“Our songs have always had a healthy mix of personal situation-inspired theming, as well as fantastical/ fictional ideas. We like to tell a story or have a bit of a message in all our songs, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously with it. There is a lot of tongue and cheek in a lot of what we do.”
There’s plenty more to come from Call Of Sirens, including the release of Siren, their third single in the new lineup, on 31 January. The quartet have also started work on their debut full length album, which will continue into the new year with a view to start recording during the summer and potentially release the lead single in the autumn.
They’ll also be busy gigging in the meantime, starting with playing The Four Horsemen in Bournemouth on Sunday (17 November). They’ll then be at Daltons in Brighton on 21 December, The Hobbit in Southampton on 8 March and The Holly Tree in Addlestone on 29 March. More information and tickets are available here.
You can follow Call Of Sirens on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Soundcloud and YouTube.
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