Iāve always held a belief that whilst the enormous success of Nu-Metal brought great attention on rock music, it also buried what was an incredible British rock scene. That scene was packed full of fantastic bands that whilst they had success they never reached the levels that their output deserved.
One key band of this scene was Hundred Reasons, who wonāt register on many young rock fans radars these days, but are likely your favourite bands favourite band! The influence of the likes of Hundred Reasons stretches far and wide even if you donāt know it.
Having entered a hiatus well over a decade ago, it seemed that Hundred Reasons would remain a wonderful memory from the past. That is, until late last year when the band surprised fans with news of a brand new album, āGlorious Sunsetā!
Well, that album is now with us and itās time for the band to show a new generation of rock fans just what made them so special the first time around.
As soon as you press play, you are instantly sucked in to those beautiful soaring hooks, those delicate, emotive moments, those brash riffs, those all out rocking flashes and just the pure majesty that the band is able to create.
Whilst naturally the pre-album singles like āGlorious Sunsetā, āNew Glassesā, ‘Replicate’ and āThe Old School Wayā lead the way, there really isnāt a bad track on this album. At just thirty-six minutes, the album absolutely flies by and leaves you eager to hit the play button again.
So many criminally underappreciated rock bands from the early 2000ās have sadly been lost to the ages, but thank goodness that we have Hundred Reasons back in our lives and that they return at their magnificent best!
āTruth Decayā is the eight studio album to come from You Me At Six and as is often the case theyāve transitioned over that fifteen years from the hot new thing to the band itās cool to hate!
Over the course of those eight albums there may well have been some missteps but nobody could accuse the band of resting on their laurels. They could have released five more carbon copies of āSinners Never Sleepā, pocketed the money and run but instead theyāve experimented, tested waters and pushed boundaries.
Some may argue theyāve often been found playing catch-up to the latest fads and they may be correct. Music is after all a lot of trial and error and even the greatest artists have followed the wrong path at least once.
The danger that a band like You Me At Six can fall into at this stage of their career is to both try to appease the old school fans whilst also testing themselves creatively. Often this actually just leads to bands achieving neither of the above! The 2021 predecessor to āTruth Decayā, āSuckapunchā, did ultimately feel like this, so there were trepidations as we hit play this time around.
Any lingering fears soon evaporate however as āDeep Cutsā, āMixed Emotions (I Didnāt Know How to Tell You What I Was Going Throughā and āAfter Love In The After Hoursā all manage this balance perfectly. Even a potentially cringeworthy song title like āGod Bless the 90ās Kidsā turns out to be a super fun little tune.
Rou Reynolds featuring āNo Future? Yeah Rightā and fellow single āheartLESSā see out a strong first half and hopes rise that this could be the bands best work in years.
The second half of the album continues the trend thankfully and cements the status of āTruth Decayā as just that ā the best You Me At Six album in a decade!
Some six years have passed since Paramore released their previous record āAfter Laughterā. A lot has happened in the intervening time and the world is a different place now, a this is reflected in their new record, āThis Is Whyā, which is their most mature offering yet.
Speculation and conjecture over the last few years attempted to deduce the sonic composition of Paramoreās next album. Would guitars become more prominent? Would singer Hayley Williams solo direction impact on the band? Well, Williams herself offered Bloc Party as a heavy influence and on the first half of this album that is clear for all to hear.
With their recent releases Paramore have shown that they are far greater than their simplistic pop-punk beginnings, although many fans will always clamour for a return to that style. The band have certainly found themselves entrenched in those circles again through recent festival appearances, but alas those fans will be left unfilled by āThis Is Whyā.
The answers to the above questions are probably a little of everything. This is distinctly a modern Paramore record, and one that isnāt afraid to dig into some wide-ranging influences. The biggest influence (sans Bloc Party!) though may be their own musical identity. This feels like perhaps the most honest album yet from the band, unshackled and ready to fully explore themselves.
The second half of the album particularly feels like a band testing what they are capable of when they work outside the confines of their own past. This being a relatively short album at thirty-six minutes, the listening experience is succinct and the delivery precise. There are tracks that will flourish live such as the title track and āThe Newsā, but there is also plenty to dissect here beyond the obvious.
This is one of those albums that deserves your undivided attention, just stick in your head phones, close your eyes and enjoy a band mastering their craft.
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with the best new releases from the past week, including metal titans Metallica, who are up first.
As the band continue to prepare for the release of their new album, ’72 Seasons’, on April 14th, they’ve this week shared new single, ‘Screaming Suicide’. You can check out the track above.
āāScreaming Suicideā addresses the taboo word of suicide. The intention is to communicate about the darkness we feel inside. It’s ridiculous to think we should deny that we have these thoughts. At one point or another, I believe most people have thought about it. To face it is to speak the unspoken. If it’s a human experience, we should be able to talk about it. You are not alone.ā – James Hetfield
Fall Out Boy return with ‘Love From The Other Side’
Fall Out Boy – ‘Love From The Other Side’
It was also a big news week for Fall Out Boy as the group announced that they will release their latest album, ‘So Much (For) Stardust’, on March 24th.
Revealing the news the band shared the following with fans:
āāTime is luck.ā
Finish another tour. You reflect but not like a gem in the sun ā more like a year long stare into yourself in another airplane bathroom
Sometimes you gotta blow everything you were and put the pieces back together in a new shape. The same but different ā the foundation dynamited and the dust used to create the concrete pour. I have a tendency to get a little sad whenever I think about anythingā¦but I also feel pure joy when I think that I exist at the same time as whales or that read happens to rise at a certain temperature. And that we happen to be spinning on this little blue rock at the exact same time together.
So much (for) stardust.ā
Accompanying the news, was new single, ‘Love From The Other Side’, which you can check out above!
Metal icons Saxon also have a new album on its way with ‘More Inspirations’ set for March 24th. The album explores the bands influences and new single, ‘The Faith Healer’, debuted this week. You can check the single out above.
Frontman Biff Byford comments āWe used to see The Sensational Alex Harvey band play this back in the day, they started the set with it, such a fantastic song and fantastic bandā¦ big influence!ā
Ian Hunter has announced the release of his new album, ‘Defiance Part 1′, arriving on April 21st.
Among the most star-studded original albums ever recorded, the record sees Hunter joined by the late, great Jeff Beck, Johnny Depp, Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Billy F Gibbons (ZZ Top), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Duff McKagan (Guns Nā Roses), Todd Rundgren, Slash (Guns Nā Roses), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Waddy Wachtel (Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards), Brad Whitford(Aerosmith), Dane Clark (John Mellencamp), Billy Bob Thornton & J.D. Andrew (The Boxmasters) and Dean DeLeo, Robert De Leo & Eric Kretz (Stone Temple Pilots).
You can check out the first single, ‘Bed Of Roses’, above featuring guitarist Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac) and drums by Ringo Starr.
āIt was a fluke,ā Ian Hunter says. āThis was not planned. Really, Iām serious. I really couldnāt believe some of them. I mean, itās amazing whatās happened. Itās been such a buzz.ā
āEverybodyās sitting around,ā says Hunter. āItās Covid. Nobodyās going anywhere. We started sending them out. Slash started doing something. Robert Trujillo from Metallica. Ringo Starr, Mike Campbell. Joe Elliott is on a few tracks. Johnny Depp said āJeff Beckās with me and weād like to do a couple of songs.ā I know Todd Rundgren, I toured with Todd way back, heās done an amazing job. Billy Gibbons. Billy Bob Thornton and JD Andrew from The Boxmasters. Itās never ending. I mean, every day weād get a phone call, this guy wants to do it, that guy wants to do it. It was like, I canāt believe this.ā
āThere are a lot of reasons for calling this album ‘Defianceā says Hunter. āItās like, people my age shouldnāt be making records, blah, blah, blah. But weāve still got a bit left.ā
Our News Report continues with the latest track from DMA’s, ‘Fading Like A Picture’, which you can check out above. The single comes from upcoming new album, ‘How Many Dreams?’, which is out 31st March.
Guitarist Johnny Took comments, āOur palette for this album was a lot broader because weāve learned so much since our debut and weāve listened to so much more music between then and now, which has shaped us. It felt like a first outing all over again. The excitement was the same.ā
Took continues: āTommy wrote the majority of this song to an obscure demo I made during lockdown. When we all came together to demo it, Mason added one of my favourite guitar riffs on the new album, and we used the middle-eight from another demo as the chorus. A true DMAāS collaboration.ā
SlĆøtface this week shared their latest single, ‘Nose’, which you can check out above.
The track comes ahead of new EP, ‘Awake / Asleep’, which is due for release on February 24th.
Haley Shea had the following to say about the new single and February’s EP:
“‘Nose’ is what I would call a pretty general āSlĆøtface anxietyā song, a recurring theme I always come back to. Nose is a conversation between me and a loved one where Iām trying to use imagery to describe what anxiety feels like to someone who doesnāt experience it, how even the smallest things can trigger it and send me into a thought spiral that feels impossible to stop. The choruses are then the replies of someone I love reminding me to breathe, a tactic which usually helps me calm my thoughts, when done in the right way, by my partner, family and loved ones.
āāā’Nose’ started when I visited Odd Martin at his studio in Bergen in March of 2022 to write some songs. It ended up being a super-productive couple of days where we wrote about 7 different demos on the first day alone, and then chose a couple to flesh out on the second day. “Nose” was the last song we tried out at the end of that second day.
The mix of the heavier, rhythmic, bass-focused verses and the big, layered, poppier choruses, all combined with saxophonist Aksel RĆønning adding some extra spice, grit and depth to the whole track makes it one of our absolute favorites on the EP.”
The Sleeping Souls debut ‘Caught Up In The Scrape’
The Sleeping Souls – ‘Caught Up In The Scrape’
Next up in our News Report are The Sleeping Souls who continue their own musical journey with their latest single, ‘Caught Up In The Scrape’. As always you can check out the track above!
This week also saw the latest new music coming from The Pearl Harts as they shared their track ‘Wild Me’.
The band shared, “Wild Me is a song about frustration within the sexes from the viewpoint of a woman ā in this instance a hetero cis relationships and how patriarchal ideology can damage and shame a woman and her natural instincts.
Why do women get called crazy, wild and out of control when their behaviour only mirrors that of men? Rarely is the same label put on them. āWhere do I stand if I canāt be the man?ā Wild me strives to call out these behaviours by crying out āWild me, Why meā with force and discontentment. It forces you to understand that being wild is awe-inspiring and nothing to be ashamed of.”
We move our News Report on now to the latest tour announcements and get started with the legendary Paul Weller. Weller this week revealed he will play a short run of Forest live dates in the Summer.
Commenting on the dates, Weller said, āI am very happy to be playing the Forest Live gigs again as they are always such great shows with such a great audience! See you there.ā
Canadian sibling duo Softcult share their latest single, ‘Dress’. The track comes from new EP, ‘see you in the dark’, out March 24th.
“This song is about consent; it’s about saying ‘no’ and having it happen to you anyway,” Mercedes explains. “It’s about being followed while walking alone at night or being cornered in a bar when we’re just trying to have a night out with our friends. Itās about the lingering fear and trauma that haunts us long after these experiences have happened. Itās about how these experiences make us feel powerless and change the way we see ourselves.”
Shadow Smile – ‘Signed in Blood’
Sheffield rising star Shadow Smile, share their track, ‘Signed in Blood’ which is the title-track of their debut album.
Lead vocalist Connor McGovern comments – ‘We wanted this song to be a modern take on songs like ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ by the Rolling Stones where the listener is being told why they should forget their morals and join the dark side. Those songs have always been a lot of fun and fit perfectly with the dark Shadow Smile imagery’.
Real Terms – ‘Veil is Thinner’
‘Veil is Thinner’ presents an advance look at Real Terms‘ debut album, ‘Vantage’, which is out February 24th.
āI think thereās also something about the different musical āperspectivesā we all bring together that makes our sound,ā says guitarist Christopher āLynnyā Lynn, āthe way our parts interweave and interlink and the perspective the listener can bring to it. Thereās not always āa centreā in our songs so I always love it when people comment on how catchy the songs are when they see us live. I find that combination of songs being complex and catchy at the same time really compelling.ā
THE MURDER CAPITAL – GIGI’s recovery – ALBUM REVIEW
With their debut album, 2019ās āWhen I Have Fearsā, The Murder Capital fully thrust themselves in the burgeoning post-punk scene and gained themselves a dedicated fanbase in the process. A lot has happened in the intervening years but now the group are back with their all so important sophomore album, āGigiās Recoveryā!
This second record certainly sees the band stretching their legs and testing the boundaries of their art. Expansive and explorative this is a delicate yet decisive collection of songs which brims with belief.
WATCH ‘The stars will leave their stage’ on youtube
The Murder Capital – ‘The Stars Will Leave Their Stage’
This is undoubtedly a brave sonic adventure undertaken by a band confident in their ability to conjure magic and assured by the acceptance of their audience. The album slowly leads us on the journey that the band has creatively been on over the past few years.
Itās methodical yet loose, meticulous but elegant, and therefore has no real standout moments. The album as a whole is the standout moment as The Murder Capital evolve into something very special indeed.
Already identified as a great hope, now itās clear to all that The Murder Capital are not to be slept on as they endear themselves with their triumphant second album!
BLACK STAR RIDERS – WRONG SIDE OF PARADISE – ALBUM REVIEW
It hasnāt been an easy road for Black Star Riders, formed from the backlash against the idea of the last incarnation of Thin Lizzy creating new music. The group has proved all doubters wrong with their subsequent output – four albums of undisputed rock and roll class, and ten years of effortless cool, delicious riffs and belting melodies.
Black Star Riders have long established themselves as a credible entity in their own right and thatās despite numerous line-up changes testing their resolve. The biggest line-up change however came in 2021 with the departure of guitar-slinger extraordinaire Scott Gorham. Gorham was integral to the formation of the group and his departure leaves singer/guitarist Ricky Warwick as the sole remaining original member.
With Warwick firmly at the helm though, the band retain the heart and soul of their signature sound and presentation. Warwickās career renaissance may have started in Thin Lizzy, but Black Star Riders allowed him to rediscover himself and unleash his natural talents back on the world.
New album, āWrong Side of Paradiseā, may be another new beginning but itās also a continuation of the essence of Black Star Riders. That signature sound remains firmly and passionately intact, and Warwickās distinguished vocals remain front and centre issuing that iconic battle cry as only he can!
Those famous riffs remain also as the album presents the perfect stable yet evolutionary prose that acts as the necessary statement to show that sans Gorham, this band remain a powerful force with a prosperous future.
Fans have a fifth album of pure rock and roll majesty, which still owes all to the faith that the initial cohort placed in themselves. They knew they had something special and now ten years later, the world knows it too!
It hasnāt been a smooth road for The Subways to arrive at the release of āUncertain Joysā, their first new album in eight years. Recent years have seen change, change in the world, change in the band and change in their personal lives.
For change on all those fronts, you could also read turmoil. The pandemic after all has played a role in the tumultuous world we all inhabit, this combined with the departure of drummer and founding member Josh Morgan from the band and a period of personal growth for front man Billy Lunn (including a stint at University) has left an uneven path to tread for a constantly underappreciated band.
Thankfully though, the band are now ready to unleash their new era on the world. Drumming stability has been returned with newcomer Camille Phillips now joining Lunn and fellow original Charlotte Cooper, a tour is lined up and āUncertain Joysā is here!
Yes, The Subways are back, which is exactly the sentiment I feel listening to the record. Iāve always felt that The Subways are both a fantastic rock band and also a superb pop group, with their songwriting able to harness the power of rock with the elegance of pop with aplomb. That ability clearly remains intact, perhaps even amplified! The elongated writing process for this album maybe the reason but this is a truly eclectic collection from the band.
Musically vibrant yet lyrically vulnerable, you can feel the love and care put into this album by its creators. Whether leading us into battle on āFightā, taking aim at social media on āInfluencer Killed The Rock Starā or getting deeply personal on the title track or āIncantationā, the quality of songwriting remains intact but again it seems to have even greater depth.
A difficult period for the band has no doubt passed, and while other bands may have called it quits, The Subways have emerged an even stronger entity. āUncertain Joysā is a supercharged dose of classic Subways that is more than worth your time.
Upon his departure from Betraying The Martyrs, vocalist Aaron Matts was quick to reveal his next project ten56.. With the world and the music industry still in the midst of the pandemic and all the uncertainty that would bring, some may have questioned the logic in leaving an established entity to start afresh at such a time.
Clearly Matts wouldāve required a great deal of faith in what he had lined up and over the past year or so that faith has paid dividends with ten56. taking the scene by storm and notching up some seriously impressive streaming metrics. A debut EP and a run of live dates have been well received and now ten56. are ready to capitalise on all that momentum with new EP āDowner Part.2ā.
This EP is a full frontal assault on the senses with Mattsā ferocious vocals taking centre stage and underpinning the progressive sound of the group. āDowner Part.2ā certainly feels like a breakout moment for a band already breaking out. Yes, over a period just under twenty minutes, Matts has shown the world just why he had such faith.
Only time will truly tell, but at this point youād have to put money on ten56. becoming one of the biggest metal acts of the next decade!
Itās been another big revival year for the music industry following the pandemic years, and itās been another year of growth for us at Full Pelt Music! Weāve reviewed 67 albums, 7 EPās, 6 festivals and 38 gigs in 2022 as some level of normality or even stability has returned to our industry.
That said, there are still many issues facing the industry with livelihoods, venues and organisations at risk for a plethora of reasons. Whilst government action is required in many places, what we as fans can do is support the industry with our money. Times are tough for us all, but purchasing an album, buying a t-shirt, nabbing a ticket and grabbing a drink whilst at a gig does so much to support the industry that we love.
In our now annual end of year awards weāll be giving out seven hotly contested awards looking at both the recorded and live sides of the industry. Adding to our well established Album of the Year award this year will be the new EP of the Year award. Weāll also once again be revealing our Single of the Year. All awards have seen fierce competition, as once again itās been a high quality year for new releases.
On the live side of things, weāll announce both our Gig and Festival of the Year awards. This year of course provided our first full calendar of music since 2019! We were able to witness many great performances this year and we canāt wait to share with you are favourites.
Lastly weāll look at the artists whoāve had special years as we award our Artist and āDiscoverā New Artist of the Year awards. So without further ado, letās work through those award catagories!
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
It has been a truly magnificent year for album releases and getting a spot anywhere in our Top 50 was hard enough but in particular the Top 10 was incredibly tightly fought. You can read the full list here.
āIMPERAā from Ghost was able to take the crown this year but any of the top 10 couldāve taken that spot. āReelingā from The Mysterines in particular would likely have won in any other year, but the majesty and magnificence of āIMPERAā proved unbeatable.
Winner:
āImperaā by Ghost
The contenders:
āReelingā by The Mysterines, āFTHCā by Frank Turner, āSkinty Fiaā by Fontaines D.C. & āThe Price of Lifeā by Bob Vylan
Previous Winners:
2021 ā āBlue Weekendā by Wolf Alice 2020 ā āUltra Monoā by IDLES
EP OF THE YEAR
For the first time this year, we are separating EPās out of our main award and giving them their own pedestal. That alone is the truest compliment to the quality of EPās on offer this year.
Again, all EPās in our top 5 are worthy of the number one spot, but itās ācoming of (r)ageā from As Sirens Fall that pips it. Catchy as hell single, āheaven (spat us back out)ā, helps elevate the release to be crowed our first ever EP of the Year.
Winner:
ācoming of (r)ageā by As Sirens Fall
The contenders:
āFalse Startā by James and the Cold Gun, āSCPā by Oakman, āTyrantsā by IOTA and āBLACKGOLDā by BLACKGOLD
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
We look now at our Single or Song of the Year. In considering the award this year weāve considered the ear worms that have stayed with us after live performances. Weāve also pondered which songs instantly struck a chord and created a buzz of excitement for the albums and live shows that would follow.
Songs which fell into both of these considerations competed for the award and it was again a tight decision, but ultimately for us this year āDangerousā from The Mysterines has not just ticked both boxes but also remained on heavy rotation throughout the year despite being an early arrival in 2022. Thatās why that track is our 2022 Single of the Year!
Check out the winning single below:
The Mysterines – ‘Dangerous’
Winner:
āDangerousā by The Mysterines
The contenders:
āTalk Hard’ by Jamie Lenman, āComplianceā by Muse, āWicked Waysā by Halestorm, āSpillwaysā by Ghost
Previous Winners:
2021 ā āTest of our Resolveā from Press To MECO 2020 – āObeyā by Bring Me The Horizon feat. Yungblud
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
2022 was the first full festival season since 2019 and what a return it was. All eyes were on Glastonbury once again, British Summer Time curated a stunning line-up, Download Festival breathed fire and 2000trees was able to remind everyone whatās so great about smaller festivals.
Our winner this year though is Reading & Leeds who went big, sold out and delivered an action packed weekend even with the huge loss of Rage Against The Machine amongst others. Always a perennial contender for this award, 2022 felt like the year the event reclaimed its identity.
Glastonbury Festival, British Summer Time, Download Festival, 2000trees Festival
Previous Winners:
2021 ā Download Pilot Festival 2020 ā Wild Fields Festival
GIG OF THE YEAR
Weāve reviewed many gigs this year but in reality there could only ever be one winner. Rammsteinās tour is less of a concert and more of an experience; one that everyone, fan of the band or not, should experience at least once.
Beyond that there was still some incredible, top tier gigs in 2022 and our contenders are all worthy of glory, but Rammstein are currently on a whole different level.
Royal Blood @ O2 Arena, London, Ghost @ Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, Muse @ Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London, The Killers @ Carrow Road, Norwich, The Hella Mega Tour @ London Stadium, London, Creeper @ Roundhouse, London, Idlewild @ O2 Kentish Town Forum, London
Previous Winners:
2021 ā Bring Me The Horizon @ O2 Arena, London 2020 ā Frank Turner @ Arboretum, Nottingham
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Artist of the Year now and for this award we look for somebody who has had a huge, perhaps even career-defining year. Previous winners Frank Turner and Biffy Clyro have done so by delivering incredible feats, far above the norm.
This year was a big year for many acts, but weāve gone for Bring Me The Horizon as a band that have had a career-defining twelve months. Long tipped as festival headliners at a major event, many felt that the time would never come for one of the best live bands on the planet. Big releases, sold-out tours, no matter what the group did they never seemed to be given that torch, that is until this year!
Watching Bring Me The Horizon step up and headline at Reading & Leeds this summer felt like a real moment, not just for the band but for the whole scene. For any metal band, let alone one once considered so unfashionable to headline the biggest festivals in the UK is massive.
Already announced to finally headline Download Festival in 2023, 2022 will forever be linked for Bring Me The Horizon to taking that final career-defining set. Throw in their genre-defying collaboration with Ed Sheeran, 2022ās Artist of the Year had to be Bring Me The Horizon.
Winner:
Bring Me The Horizon
The contenders:
Ghost, Rammstein, Biffy Clyro, Muse
Previous Winners:
2021 ā Biffy Clyro 2020 ā Frank Turner
āDISCOVERā NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
As a publication we always want to put new music at the heart of what we do, and thatās why our final award is perhaps our most important! Our āDiscoverā New Artist of the Year is awarded to the act weāve chosen to highlight on our āDiscoverā New Music Playlist and Podcast who we feel has made the biggest impact this year.
At the beginning of 2022 we put the spotlight on new Colchester act PET NEEDS as they continued to promote their debut album, āFractured Party Musicā. From that point on the band never looked back with a world tour, a second album (‘Primtime Entertainment’) and a sold out hometown show all under their belts.
They even found the time to become the first (and only at the time of writing) band to progress from our āDiscoverā New Music Podcast and appear on The Full Pelt Music Podcast! Yes, fighting off some stiff competition for the āDiscoverā New Artist of the Year award in 2022 is PET NEEDS!
Winners:
PET NEEDS
The Contenders:
BERRIES, As Sirens Fall, Oakman, James and the Cold Gun, Daytime TV, MOSKITO
Previous Winners:
2020 ā Miss Vincent
So, thatās it! Another year in the record books, itās been another difficult year and it has again been particularly tough on the music industry. That said, weāve had a full year of live music for the first time since 2019 and the creative juices remain flowing with some absolutely stunning new releases over the past twelve months.
Below you can enjoy some of our favourite gig photos of the year courtesy of our wonderful photographer Denis!
All šø (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music
We hope youāve enjoyed our The Year in Review 2022 and we wish you a very Happy New Year. Hereās hoping 2023 is a good one!
Wow. Ever sit and think to yourself that a certain artistās latest work has hit upon something special? Well, thatās the feeling we get from listening to āThe Athiestā, the new solo release from Jamie Lenman!
Having seen the campaign for previous album, āKing of Clubsā, seriously disrupted by the pandemic, Lenman has emerged from these troubled two years with a masterpiece of an album.
āThe Athiestā sees a change in direction from Lenman, whilst maintaining his charm and sound of previous records. There is a delicateness and vulnerability to this new material which opens it up as his most accessible work yet.
āTalk Hardā is an absolute banger of a song, which leads the album by example. Perhaps his most singly single yet, we dare you not to lose yourself in that catchy as hell chorus. Fellow single, āLena Donāt Leave Meā is further evidence of the pop-esque songwriting on offer on this album.
This is a deeply personal record for the iconic Lenman, as both lyrically and musically he stretches himself further than ever before. Equally, there is plenty here which will be familiar to old school fans, creating a perfectly blended mix for fans old and new to enjoy.
Itās great to see an artist earn a freedom in their career to explore themselves without the pressures of the industry. Lenman has seemingly arrived at this point and the results are spectacular.
Watch Episode 13 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guest Jamie Lenman
The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 13 – Jamie Lenman
