Blenko doesn’t want to make you comfortable. The Manningtree-based artist is here to serve up a reality check with a side of groove, and her new single “Unwanted Guest” is a masterclass in making you dance to your own doom. This isn’t a quiet acoustic pity party. It’s a punchy, bass-driven indie-rock kick to the teeth that dares you to sit still while the world burns.
The concept is brilliant. Blenko personifies capitalism as an insatiable, unwanted houseguest who keeps taking everything until you’ve got nothing left. She’s tackling addiction, social media, and artificial intelligence, but she’s doing it with a cynical smirk instead of a lecture. The music is playful and energetic. It’s got this quirky, danceable swagger that pulls from the weirdness of Talking Heads and the raw snarl of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, all while channelling the sharp lyrical pens of Leonard Cohen and Suzanne Vega. It’s a driving bassline that carries the whole damn thing. You’ll catch yourself nodding along to a song about the crushing weight of modern society. That’s a magic trick.
After her previous band Anna’s Bones called it quits, Blenko struck out on her own. She linked up with producer Michael Hemmings at a garden studio in Elmstead Market, Essex, and kept everything local and relaxed. No pressure, no rushing. That vibe bleeds into the track. She recently picked up the bass, and it’s now the heartbeat of the song. She also started using Logic, and this is the first track she built from the ground up on the software. You can hear that new confidence. Michael Hemmings produced it, Jake Cartwright mixed it, and Black Bay Studio mastered it. It’s already catching ears, getting airplay from Matt Plumb on BBC Introducing Essex & Cambridgeshire. That’s not a fluke. That’s a signal.
She’s taking a break from live shows for now—home educating her son takes priority—but the studio is where the real magic is happening. Blenko proves that you don’t need to sound miserable to make a serious point. Art can hide its depth beneath an accessible, fun surface. That’s exactly what she’s done here. Blenko has delivered a track that’s as smart as it is catchy. “Unwanted Guest” is out now.