new music: discover blake diamond and the pearls’ “black is beautiful” #soundcheck

Hailing from Martinique by way of Paris, Blake Diamond and The Pearls make the kind of fist raising alt rock that’s in short supply these days. Like The Smashing Pumpkins without sinus problems, their anthemic hooks are destined for large stages and light shows. But seeing as they only have one song out, the rager “Black Is Beautiful,” we’ll have to settle for laptop speakers.

By Nathan  Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor 

“Black Is Beautiful” is an ode to growing up and finding your own beauty. A surprisingly mature sentiment from a sound that has long served as the official soundtrack to teen angst. The tight band, led by singer Blake Diamond, keeps the sound fresh with modern buzz saw guitars and post-Morrissey lyricism over a classic rock skeleton. What they have next remains to be seen, but as an introduction “Black Is Beautiful” is hard to beat.

Download the track via the bandcamp player.