ALBUM REVIEW: Uncertain Joys – The Subways
An eight-year gap between albums can be a huge risk for any band, but if you leave behind a legacy where fans trust your progress and know that anything you put out is nothing short of the highest quality, then most will be willing to wait. But it’s finally here; THE SUBWAYS long-awaited fifth studio album Uncertain Joys. Like many artists, much of the record was written and recorded during lockdown, but also came from a rather interesting location: the dorm bedroom of frontman Billy Lunn as he undertook his English degree at Cambridge University.
A lot has changed in the world in the time between the band’s last album and this new release. It’s given them a vast range of potential lyrical material, and the result? A fantastic album filled with catchy tracks that also splits between two vastly different topics. The first half focuses a lot on love and relationships; opening track and lead single You Killed My Cool starts out with a grungey intro that, given the nature of the song being about private, intimate moments, is rather alluring and has you intrigued immediately. Along with incredible vocals and a standout bassline, you can’t help but find yourself bopping along to the beat.
Following this is second single, Love Waiting On You, which mixes indie rock with electronic pop to result in a fun and upbeat track that makes you want to get up and dance. And it’s fair to say that’s the whole vibe of the first part of the record – songs that make you feel happy and leave you with a warm feeling inside as you go through the different motions of love and relationships, culminating in a sweet acoustic love song, Lavender Amelie. But then everything changes.
Suddenly we are plunged into the world of anarchism and anger towards oppression and ridiculous social expectations. We go from sweet sentiments to anger with Fight – a track which, as the name suggests, is a punk anthem filled with anger at oppression as it urges us all to stand together. Time is also taken to analyse the world around us and to criticise and mock certain parts of our modern culture. Influencer Killed The Rockstar criticises internet culture in the spread of false information; Swanky AI and The Devil In Me come as a duo which tell the satirical story of what is expected of men in bands, as well as the “lessons” they are taught growing up.
It all ends with a seven-minute-long track Futures. It’s a bit of a risk, but it pays off in the best way possible. What we experience is three sections that seem to cover the variety of styles we’ve experienced throughout the record and combines it all in a beautiful breakdown.
Eight years is a long time, but it was certainly worth the wait. There’s no doubt that THE SUBWAYS are back and it’s as if they never left. Uncertain Joys is fantastic record that leaves you excited and eager to hear more as you wonder what’s to come next.
Rating: 8/10
Uncertain Joys is out now via Alcopop! Records.
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