The incredible Bad Touch are one of the UK’s best underground rock bands. One of the real pioneers of the NWOCR movement that is still going strong today, they are a real pillar of the UK scene. I’ve known them for a while, having gigged with them a lot back in the day, so when I heard that they were gearing up for the release of their fifth album, I knew I’d be writing this review. Well, it dropped on Friday, so here is said review!
‘Slip Away’ opens the album in typically bluesy fashion with a great riff. Immediately there is so much feel from everyone’s playing, it being very refreshing from the super-produced feel that a lot of music has these days. Stevie’s vocals sound just as great as ever, fitting over the sleazy blues riff perfectly. A simple, driving verse leads to a bigger, very catchy chorus. We get an awesome solo to connected the second and third choruses, it fitting the tone and feel of the track perfectly. The track follows the standard rock structure, but is the perfect introduction to the band and the album. It’s a great song!
Another fantastic riff opens ‘This Life’, soon exploding into the HUGE verse. Honestly, both the verses and chorus could easily be interchangeable. Both are massively catchy and sound made to fill arenas. It’s a short, to-the-point rock ‘n roll banger and easily makes our playlist. It’s everything you could want in a 70s/80s inspired rock song with a modern edge, a sound Bad Touch have perfected for years at this point!
Single ‘Spend my Days’ is another great track, being a tad slower than the previous two. The clean, more stripped-back verses were a nice touch. It somehow feels like the perfect blend between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bowie. It also has a slight indie twang to it, which was awesome. It still builds into a great chorus, the backing vocals adding so much depth to it all. The lyrics are fantastic and full of emotion, too. It’s got some more awesome guitar soloing, too. It’s hard to listen to this track without it putting a smile on your face. It’s the second track in a row that easily makes our playlist!
The title track goes just as hard as the other songs, picking up the energy again after the previous song. I’m loving the subtle organs put in the back throughout the album, and it works possibly the best in this track. And again, another huge highlight of the song is the backing vocals. Whether it’s the verse or chorus, the harmonies sound INCREDIBLE and really make the song memorable. And of course, it has some more now expected excellent guitar soloing. It’s another amazing song. Bad Touch are really on a roll so far this album.
Other single ‘Nothing Wrong with That’ is another slower track, and the ballad of the album. It again feels very Skynyrd, but also hints of Black Stone Cherry and even (Molly Hatchet?) in there too. Honestly, it’s a fantastic track. Stevie’s vocals fit so perfectly over this sort of style, and both the pre and chorus are stadium-filling, massively catchy moments. It feels more like something off their debut than any of their more recent stuff, which I love as it’s my favourite album of theirs! A simple yet massively effective solo and that awesome ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ reggae-style chorus round out the track amazingly, too. It’s instantly become one of my favourites of the band, and of course it also makes our playlist!
Tracks like ‘Taste This’ and ‘See it To Believe It’ have a bit more of that sleaze feel to it that the UK NWOCR scene is so good at at the minute. Meanwhile, ‘Tonight’ and ‘Come Back Again’ are closer to the country-blues style the band made their name off. They are all awesome, very enjoyable tracks that showcase the range of the band’s expertise these days. Bad Touch have become one of the most polished bands in the UK, releasing amazing album after amazing album, and tracks like these demonstrate that perfectly. The production is amazing, and the songs are awesomely written. I love this band!
Closer ‘Dizzy for You’ is the perfect culmination of all the sounds and feelings from this album. The riffing is awesome and it has a very chilled out, country-blues feel to it. And yet it’s very NWOCR still. Heck, it almost has an edge of Britpop to it, too. And of course it’s another typically awesome chorus. And other incredibly fitting, impressive guitar solo is tucked in the middle, too. The backing vocals in the final double-chorus is a massive highlight of the track as well. It adds such an epic finale feel to it all, making it the perfect album closer!
Overall: this was fantastic. I’ve loved this band for nearly a decade at this point (fuck I’m old) and they somehow keep getting better and better. Honestly, after a couple of listens I think this is my favourite Bad Touch album since Half Way Home. It’s not got a bad track on it and plenty stand out among the best the band have to offer. I really hope this is finally the album to push Bad Touch into the mainstream and they become the huge band they deserve to be. Some of the nicest guys around making incredible music!
The score: 9/10