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Album Reviews

Enter Shikari

Enter Shikari

‘Lose Your Self’

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ENTER SHIKARI – LOSE YOUR SELF – ALBUM REVIEW

After they announced an intimate live date in Manchester, whispers were in the wind that a new album was on the way from St. Albans finest Enter Shikari. Well, fans didn’t have to wait long!

Come midnight the band surprise dropped their eighth studio album, ‘Lose Your Self’, but given the state of the world right now it should surprise nobody that the record takes aim and holds no punches.

Shikari have always been a band who are at their best with the bit between their teeth and there isn’t exactly a lack of inspiration at present. Whilst being willing and able to eloquently lyricise their thoughts on the world, what the band also do well is ensure that a glimmer of hope remains that together we can heal the pain.

LISTEN TO ‘LOSE YOUR SELF’
Enter Shikari – ‘Lose Your Self’

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These tracks all conceptualise from a point of despair and desperation and whilst this manifests in anger it also offers the hopeful perspective in such as way that stops you from heading into full on depression (as understandable as that would be watching the news).

The ever-uplifting sonic exploration that only Enter Shikari can create also helps with that. This is after all a band never lacking in musical ambition and ‘Lose Your Self’ feels like their most ambitious project yet – both in terms of the content and the unusual type of release.

With no singles to steal your attention, you’ll need to indulge the album as designed and that has to be the biggest plus of the surprise drop.

The album flows superbly and builds to a captivating crescendo in the shape of the album closing ‘Spaceship Earth’ trilogy. There are no real dips in quality and it’s great to know that even at this stage of their career the band can still surprise us!

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 129

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EP Reviews

U2

U2

‘Easter Lily’

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u2 – easter lily – ep review

Back in February, the legendary U2 surprised their fans with the unannounced drop of a new EP on Ash Wednesday. Now as fans begin their Easter holidays, the band again surprise them with new EP, ‘Easter Lily’, arriving on Good Friday.

An album is still said to be on the way, but the band have chosen to again release a thematically linked collection of songs that felt like they needed their own space. Unlike the ‘Days of Ash’ which focused on protesting the state of the world, ‘Easter Lily’ is more about the personal side of living in it.

Sonically based within the grander scales of the U2 songbook, this for an EP is a meatier experience, with the six tracks clocking in at a total of thirty-two and half minutes. Each track is given it’s time to breathe and the collection therefore demands your attention.

Both of the EP’s combined have shown that U2 are still creatively as urgent as ever and on the back of two strong EP’s you can’t help but get excited for the promised album’s arrival!

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Album Reviews

Lavalove

Lavalove

‘Tan Lines’

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LAVALOVE – TAN LINES – ALBUM REVIEW

Los Angeles indie rock ensemble Lavalove bring a little bit of Southern Californian sunshine to the world as they follow their 2023 debut album, ‘Love Sick’, with their sophomore collection, ‘Tan Lines’!

The album is again a product of its environment with a heavy surf culture influence and a vibe that will make you feel the sun on the back of your neck, even whilst the UK waits to fully leave the cold months in the rearview mirror.

The album sees singer and guitarist Tealarose Coy lead us through songs that acknowledge the negatives of modern living but do so in a manner that chooses joy over despair. They do so with a genre and era defying sound that displays a wide range of musical influences.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘hopelessly devoted’
Lavalove – ‘Hopelessly Devoted’

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At ten songs and just shy of thirty minutes, this is a short, sharp shock of bubblegum indie punk that can’t help but lift your mood. Simply a good old fashioned fun record. So, if you’re in the need of the musical equivalent of a sugar rush then look no further than this sweet treat of an album!

In the midst of a world gone crazy, Lavalove are here to remind you that not all music needs to embrace the darkness and there’s nothing wrong with just having a good time.

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Album Reviews

Masca

Masca

‘Love Letters’

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Masca – love letters – album review

Thirteen months on from their second EP, Bristolians Masca are here to deliver the big one – their debut album! The trio have quietly been making a name for themselves with impressive singles and live shows and now comes that always important statement record, ‘Love Letters’.

If the band have been making a statement thus far it’s certainly been that they are here to be the first Masca rather than trying to shoehorn themselves into any existing scene. They are fiercely unique and that has identified them as a band worth investing in.

There will be many therefore looking forward to this first full-length collection and its evident as soon as you begin your first listen that the record is everything fans will want it to be.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘OXYTOCIN’
Masca – ‘Oxytocin’

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Operating succinctly in the intersection between rock and pop in a gripping sonic Venn diagram, the band have crafted a sound that you can easily consume but also allows for deeper inspection for those wishing to.

With frank and insightful lyrics tackling both the bigger problems facing the world in 2026 and the more personal concerns present as a musician in the modern industry, there is certainly plenty to dissect on this intricate record.

Backed by simmering guitar work and a hazy aesthetic, these tracks feel made for big festival sets and showcase perfectly the body of work that the trio have generated.

Given debut albums are such a big introduction for bands, ‘Love Letters’ is the perfect place for new fans to get engaged with a band who clearly have plenty to give.

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 128

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Album Reviews

Mallavora

Mallavora

‘What If Better Never Comes?’

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MAllavora – What If Better Never Comes? – Album Review

It’s debut album time for Mallavora!

The band have been making a loud noise for a few years now and that noise has made people take notice. This is a band with a vision and an engrained belief system. This is a band that strives to do things their way; so why would their debut record be any different?

The Bristolian four-piece have developed an alt-metal sound which is deeply engaging and a lyrical identity that is emotively captivating. With an album giving them more space to explore themselves, it’s no surprise that over the course of the thirteen tracks and near fifty minutes they are able to truly bring their vision to life.

Watch the video for ‘WASTE’
Mallavora – ‘Waste’

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This is a record that is packed full of vulnerability and defiance in equal measure. Personal experiences and the overarching need to navigate the modern world loom large and are delivered in an immediate and relatable manner.

Considering the shortness of attention spans these days and the noted length of the record, perhaps an argument could be made to trim the record down slightly, but that’s not the Mallavora way.

This is grandiose by design and that’s demonstrated best by the nine-minute closing epic that is the title-track of the album, ‘What If Better Never Comes?’. The band wants you to live this record with them, to feel it with them and as far as first attempts go you have to say that this is a great opening salvo.

Make note of the name, because for Mallavora this is only the beginning!

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Album Reviews

The Pale White

The Pale White

‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’

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The Pale white – Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century – album review

Newcastle alt-rock brothers The Pale White aren’t afraid to plough their own furrow. Over the past decade they’ve honed their craft, dabbling with various styles all connected via the rock family tree.

Unafraid to try something new and experiment with their sound, the duo has already released two uniquely curated albums and are now back with another effort which is very much of it’s time both lyrically and within the context of their continued sonic evolution.

‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’, is a largely conceptual take on the fact that the world continues to embrace technological advances in lieu of human connection and experience.

Take standout single, ‘Absolute Cinema’ as exhibit A with the track taking aim at our lazy consumption of film via streaming platforms as apposed to the full experience of going to an actual cinema.

Listen to ‘ABSOLUTE CINEMA’
The Pale White – ‘Absolute Cinema’

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The band want us to smell the popcorn, to switch our phones to silent, take in the art in all of its glory and then exit the venue like newly risen zombies as our eyes acclimatise to the light. And that’s exactly what this album does!

There is a rich vein of textures across these carefully crafted songs that ache for you to lock yourself in a dark room away from distraction and actively connect to the music.

Like any good film, the opening introduces you to the subject matter, the aesthetic and the character. The middle of the album then gives you the depth and real story before you are sent home with a big finale.

The end credits of the album come in the shape of a superbly melancholic take on The Everly Brothers’ classic ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’. While our connection to what makes us human may be disappearing, there are still artists like The Pale White able to make us feel something real!

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Album Reviews

Don Broco

Don Broco

‘Nightmare Tripping’

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DON BROCO – NIGHTMARE TRIPPING – ALBUM REVIEW

Nobody can accuse Bedford’s Don Broco of being overnight sensations. Their steady rise began with the release of their debut album fourteen years ago, but following another huge arena tour and prominent festival appearances, nobody can disagree that their stock has never been higher.

Each of their previous four albums has brought about another sonic push and an attached hype increase. The pre-release singles for their fifth effort, ‘Nightmare Tripping’, have again generated much anticipation for the record as a whole and now it’s time for fans to dive in!

Two of those singles, ‘Cellophane’ and ‘Disappear’ kickstart the eleven track album and introduce what is another evolution of their sound. This album is the heaviest of their career so far and is very inline with the on-trend renaissance of nu-metal stylings.

The band have always had their fingers on the pulse and have often been ahead of the curve, so this probably shouldn’t be a surprise. There are obvious influences on this album with a modern Bring Me The Horizon aura blending with a droning Deftones aesthetic to good effect.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘NIGHTMARE TRIPPING’
Don Broco – ‘Nightmare Tripping’

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This is an album that compared to its predecessor, ‘Amazing Things’, is lacking in standout singles but instead is more of a complete package. This is in contrast to the way bands tend to move as their careers deepen, but if you need a big single then the title-track has you covered!

‘Nightmare Tripping’ as a song is simply Don Broco’s signature sound on steroids with Nickelback of all people pushing them to embrace their maniacal side. It’s up there with the best the band have produced, even if the album doesn’t quite pull off the same.

‘True Believers’, featuring Sam Carter of Architects, is another memorable moment, but this is an album that is greater than the sum of its parts. Fans will enjoy exploring this side of the band in greater depth whilst retaining much needed familiarity.

With much of the old guard retiring, the next wave of festival headliners is needed and what this album does for Don Broco is give them more bangers for the setlist but also demonstrates that there is more to them than just catchy singles.

The deeper the band head into their career, the more weight they add to the argument that they got next!

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Album Reviews

PET NEEDS

PET NEEDS

‘Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism’

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PET NEEDS – Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism – Album Review

Colchester punks PET NEEDS grabbed a lot of attention with the charting of their third album, ‘Intermittent Fast Living’, but the truth is that they’ve been building momentum now for the better part of a decade.

Three impressive albums and countless shows have built up a dedicated fanbase and seen them tour around world. Now as they set free their fourth record, ‘Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism’, they take all of this experience and deliver a frank assessment of the industry that they call home.

A key component of the bands charm has always been their innate ability to deliver weapons grade lyrical wit which reflects on the world with astonishing accuracy. Fans will be glad to hear that their collective tongue remains firmly in their cheek and that their alarmingly realistic social commentary is as biting as ever.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘DUCKLINGS’
PET NEEDS – ‘Ducklings’

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Across the sixteen tracks and skits, they tell a tale of the band buying a second-hand punk rock career at auction. The entertaining interludes feature friends and icons and help to guide us through this frenetic fable, whilst bringing the core tracks to life in a unique way.

The album tackles many of the clichés present in the insane music industry and that gives us the opportunity to use one of our own, because ‘there really isn’t a bad track on this album’. As much as the lyrics grab your attention, the musical evolution that the band continues to go through is a joy to behold.

There is again a diverse palette of punk-tinged sounds on what is the most complete PET NEEDS record to date. Beyond the pre-release singles, fans will love the likes of ‘Pixels’, ‘The Ship Is Still Sinking’ and ‘Paintballs’ but you can’t help but applaud the love and affection put into the entire album.

This is a band who may be ‘Tour Worn’, but it’s their experience and continued passion that means that they deserve to break through the clichés and challenges of the industry and into your hearts!

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