Blondshell – Veronica Mars Review

Hopefully not a lament to the Kristen Bell series of the same name, although for the sake of humour, a refusal to check has steered Veronica Mars into new territory. Let’s get it out of the way first, Blondshell has crafted a two-minute fury like no other and it is of a sincere and brilliant quality. But there is the wonder of whether or not it has any relation to that Hulu detective show. Probably not, but dreamers are for dreaming, and Blondshell are for quality music fans. Over before it gets started, Veronica Mars is an intense two-minute piece that will serve well as a key example of Blondshell’s abilities.

Key to that is the need for more, a two-minute track will do that. That stiff opening of jagged strums and laments to the eponymous Veronica Mars, it sets a very unique and individual scene. By lead singer Sabrina Teitelbaum’s own admission, it is “weird” for this scenario to take the centre stage, but it is right at home. By the time Teitelbaum’s lyrical flurries are over, the strange and idealistic brevities of her stage-setting moments, it is straight into a guitar solo that rounds out the song. There is the perspective to be taken of simplicity, but that does no justice to the layering or quick-paced brilliance of the track. Fewer and fewer people are engaging with new music, and there is no excuse to not stick Veronica Mars on.

It is a short enough track, and a very smart release at that, for its length and brevity, comes with the ideal qualities of a single. Short enough to leave a mark on those that enjoy the style Blondshell have been gifted with. Short enough to not offend those that dislike the primitive and brief qualities of an artist now making bigger and better moves. Veronica Mars is the perfect palette cleanser track, and in a radio-stocked world of novelties and mundanities, this Teitelbaum-led track is a genuine, well-needed shot of adrenalin. It is the short bridge that brings an inherent quality, a demo of styles on the rise and rise. Veronica Mars is a track most artists should have – a short pop at the styles, changes and qualities that the individual listening in can be offered. Perhaps that is wishful thinking, though.

What is not wishful thinking is the exceptional qualities founded on Veronica Mars, and hopefully, it steers toward that inevitable album release sometime soon. Partisan Records have a rare gem on their hands with quality like this. Perhaps it is a need now for shorter and shorter songs, now that our attention spans have been riddled with TikTok-shaped holes, that Veronica Mars works. It starts as abruptly as it ends, a stylish bit of simplicity from a group going places. Veronica Mars is a track where its length is the ace up its sleeve, nobody of sound mind can reject the chance to listen to a track of great quality at such a short expense of their time. In a year where time is of the essence and audiences begin to guard against big-time sinks, Veronica Mars is the perfect, quality trick to get listeners hooked.