A quieter week still stacked full of some awesome albums across multiple genres. Let’s check them out!
Skunk Anansie: The Painful Truth
The legendary British rockers are back with their first new studio album in nearly a decade. And I have to say, while I do consider myself a fan of the band, I am only really familiar with those first three albums; I haven’t listened to much post-reunion. So, I don’t know if I’m late to the party, but this was a bit of a shock to the system compared to what I was expecting. Firstly, my main love from those early albums was Cass’ incredible bass playing, adding so much feel and attitude to every song. So, when I heard this I honestly figured he wasn’t in the band any more; this album has really nerfed him. Don’t get me wrong, Skin’s lyrics are still great and thought-provoking, and she can certainly still sing, but the instrumentation around her was sadly kinda boring compared to what they have put out in the past. The closest thing we got to that old-school, rockier sound is the one-two-punch of ‘Cheers’ and ‘Shoulda Been You’. The rest all sounded more indie-pop leaning and electronic-heavy.
None of it is inherently bad, and this will certainly have fans. If you like stuff like Nothing But Thieves or the less quirky side of Twenty-One Pilots, you might like this. However, if you are going into this as a fan of their 90s music, just be warned it isn’t too similar, and you may be disappointed like I was. It may grow on me, but for now it sadly gets a 4/10 from us.
Hinder: Back to Life
The seventh album from the hard rock/modern glam metal band is… it’s fine. They’re another band that I loved their first two or three albums, but do also feel like they lost their edge and passion a little somewhere between then and now. Heck, opening a hard/alt rock song on a soppy ballad is a bad idea as it is. I know that’s mostly what they are known for, but even the big guitars and drums in the choruses don’t help its case as much as it needs. It does feel like the album picks up a little for me with ‘Everything is a Cult’, it giving off big Three Days Grace vibes. The follow-up, more acoustic-based ballad, ‘Bring Me Back to Life’, is also a great song. ‘Break the Cycle’ later on is okay, too! However, a lot of it came across as stale and done-before, and honestly pretty cringy for a bunch of forty-somethings. In a genre that has become kinda repetitive and not aged well, Hinder are a brilliant example as to why that is. It’s not bad, and if you’re a fan of the band you’ll probably get something out of it, but if you’re looking for creativity and passion, that feels to have long-since left the band. It’s another sad 4/10
When Rivers Meet: Addicted to You
The fifth album from the husband-and-wife fronted blues rock band has a lot of hype around it, and looks to be just as successful as 2023’s Aces are High. I remember really liking it back when I reviewed it, so hopefully I’ll feel the same with this!
Once again, their strength is in their vocals working so perfectly together, the harmonies throughout being top notch. And some of the riffing is as awesome as ever, blending that blues and country sound masterfully. And some of the songs are awesome. From the amazing duet of the opener/title track and the almost QOTSA-like ‘Break Free’ to the epic, more folk/Americana ‘Coming Up for Air’ to the beautiful ballad ‘Tree of Life’ to the awesome southern rock, slide-guitar-epic of ‘Soft White Sand’ and even us finally getting the band’s name as a song title as the closer, there is so much greatness on here. Heck, the latter may be my favourite song by the band overall, it really combines elements of all their sounds into four-and-a-half epic minutes. However, there really isn’t a bad song on this thing. There’s plenty of variety, 47-minutes going by in a flash, and it’s a must for any rock, country or blues fans out there. I’m not quite sure if it’s necessary better than their last couple of albums, but it’s up there for sure. And with a few more listens, I may have a more solid say on that. But, for now, it gets another massive 9/10 from us!
Sports Team: Boys These Days
This feels like it’s been a long time coming, being delayed at least once and being on my calendar for a while! Turns out the last one, Gulp was the same, too! Still, I remember not minding that album when it released, and this is very much more of the same. It leans even more into the alt side of things this time round, and honestly the quirkiness was a big plus for me. The instrumentation is awesome, be it horns, strings, synths or piano between the traditional rock stuff, and kept me interested throughout! Songs like the title track, ‘Condensation’, the chilled-out ‘Planned Obsolescence’ and ‘Bonnie’ are all big highlights for me, but there isn’t a bad song on it! It’s a relaxed, simply fun album to listen to. If you’re into the softer stuff, I’d highly recommend this. It’s a great, quirky, punk-infused soft rock album, and I certainly got more out of it than I did their last album! It’s a solid 7.5/10 from us, and something I’ll definitely be spinning again!
Mandy Manala: Self-Titled
I went into this album with no ideas or expectations, and ended up loving it and coming away a big fan of the Finnish five-piece. It’s awesome, heavy rock with clear stoner, doom and gothic tinges to it, reminding me of stuff like Lucifer in the best way! From the awesome opener to ‘The Machine’ to ‘Black Sheep’ to ‘The Dark Passenger’, there is so much awesome music on this release! And, for a debut album of a band that have only started releasing studio music this year, it’s absolutely mind-blowing that it’s this high quality! They’ve come out of nowhere and are already a fast rising star in the scene, and this album will go a hell of a long way putting them on the map, I’m sure! If you’re into the hard rock/stoner sound of the likes of Crobot, The Sword or Sons of Texas, I’d highly recommend checking this release out! They’re going to be a big name sooner rather than later, and have a big fan in me already. This is a damn solid 8.5/10!
Cardinal Black: Midnight at the Valencia
I clearly got the wrong memo, I thought Cardinal Black went a little harder than this. I was expecting some NWOCR stuff, not this soulful, easy-listening soft-rock awesomeness. However, the more I listened to this, the more I fell head over heels in love with it. The way the songs are arranged and build to these epic crescendos, alongside Tom’s utterly phenomenal vocals, honestly gave me goosebumps multiple occasions throughout. Honestly, some of it doesn’t sound too dissimilar to the newer War and Treaty stuff, especially when they add that slight Southern vibe. Between that and reminding me of our friend Jody Blount, which I also love. It’s incredibly difficult to pick highlights too, as they’re all so good and most of this ended up in my personal playlist. Don’t get me wrong. It is a slow album, and it is all pretty similar. I’m not sure if they have any other styles up their sleeve, but maybe a more upbeat track thrown in somewhere in the middle to break things up would have been nice. That, or maybe just strip a song or two out, so it isn’t nearly 50-minutes of the same. However, both are very much personal preference, and pretty small nitpicks really! It’s an amazing album packed full of incredible musicianship and great writing, and I would recommend absolutely anyone check this out at least once. It gets a very strong 9.5/10 from us!
The Steeldrivers: Outrun
Fun fact, I saw these live years ago back when I was in the US and had no idea who they were. I loved them then, and the band title has finally just unlocked that core memory for me.
This is an awesome bluegrass/Americana album! I hadn’t heard of the band before, but their 7th album goes damn hard. It’s not for everyone as it is so stripped-back, just strings and vocals, but I really loved it. Songs like ‘The River Knows’, ‘Prisoner’s Tears’, and ‘Rosanna’ are all awesome and big personal highlights, but this whole thing is packed full of great tracks. If you’re into either of the genres mentioned, or a more traditional, old-school country sound, I can’t recommend this enough. They are one of the best bands in this style, and this album is yet another of theirs that proves it. I’ll certainly be listening to a lot of this a lot in the coming weeks and months. It’s a damn solid 8/10 from me!
Spiralist: Violent Feathers
This is a wild ride of an album that should immediately be much bigger than it is! This third album is honestly incredible, blending together elements of industrial, metalcore, alternative and even brief blends of pop and shoegaze into something truly unique and interesting to listen to. Whether it’s 3TEETH, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Marilyn Manson or even stuff like Electric Callboy or Cane Hill, the band wear their inspirations on their sleeves heavily, in a great way! Songs like ‘Parasites’, ‘Underbelly’, the NIN-like ‘Glasseater’ and ‘Baptism by Fire’ are all big personal highlights. However, the whole album is great, and has a fantastic flow to it. Whether it’s more interlude-like tracks or the beautiful piano song ‘God Unknown’, the album is broken up perfectly and constantly interesting to listen to. It’s another album that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it enough to anyone even slightly interested. They deserve to be massive, and certainly to have more than a couple of hundred monthly listeners on Spotify. They have a new fan in me, and this is a very easy 9/10 from us!