Album Review: The Subways - "Uncertain Joys"


There was a time around the mid-noughties when St Albans natives the Subways were genuinely considered to be the bright hopes for the UK alternative music scene. Similar to early Ash, they were a pop-punk with a kick behind them even if their album unfortunately didn't quite live up to the hype it had been saddled with and saw them slide back into obscurity.

You can't keep a good band of indie-rockers down evidently though and so 2023 sees the Subways back with a new album. The surprise is that it's not bad either - it seems that the group have put their near two decades of experience to good use to come up with a record that has a foot in both the indie and punk camps and comes up with something surprisingly good right from the moment the low slung menace of opener and former single You Kill My Cool kicks things into gear. Love Waiting On You and the title track both have an almost new wave feel with their glacial keyboards and the chiming vocal interplay between Billy Lunn and Charlotte Cooper. Meanwhile, Incantation skitters all over the shop and former single Black Wax rolls along on an agreeably stomping glam rock style drumbeat from new drummer Camille (formerly of the Ramonas).

There's the odd curveball on here to keep things interesting as well - Lavender Amelie sounds like a less gothy cousin of the Smashing Pumpkins' Disarm with its gentle acoustic guitar while the sinister The Devil And Me is an excellent voodoo stomper of a tune. Elsewhere, they can still do the snotty garage punk snarl well as evidenced on Swanky Al and the excellently titled Influencer Killed The Rock Star. The seven minute closer Futures is another highlight with its insistent Jam style riff and slow-fast breakdown signing this one off in good style.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by this - it seems as though the Subways are a band who are continuing to get stronger with every release and Uncertain Joys is a commendably varied album which keeps the bratty pop-punk energy that was always this group’s calling card intact to come up with an album that should keep the old fans happy while just maybe winning them a few new converts as well. Recommended.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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