10. Desperate Pleasures EP (Boston Manor)

Blackpool based, Boston Manor started off as pop-punk with their 2016 release, ‘Be Nothing’, but have diversified their sound to being more alternative since ‘Welcome To The Neighbourhood’ (2018). Their lyrics have included themes around class, politics, toxic relationships, the difficulties of living in Blackpool, mental health, and questioning honesty. Their 2020 release, ‘GLUE’ was one of my favourite releases last year and their 2021 EP is consistently strong, albeit it is a shame that it is an EP and not an album. On the 24th August 2021, I experienced the debut performance of the lead single of the EP, ‘Carbon Mono’ during their Reading and Leeds and Slam Dunk festival warm-up gig at the Underground in Stoke-on-Trent (which was also my first gig since seeing Waterparks on the 30/1/20). ‘Carbon Mono’ is a strong, upbeat song questioning those who never seem to change and wanting to be given direction and leave negative influences. Similarly, ‘Algorithm’ is about doing what you want and living a new life and not metaphorically wearing somebody else’s clothes. ‘Desperate Pleasures’ is about wanting to complete erase someone and has a brilliant guitar riff and drum beat. ‘I Don’t Like People (& They Don’t Like Me)’ and ‘Let The Right One In’, I feel are the weakest on the EP, but they still have a worthy beat and Henry Cox’s (lead vocals) have gone strength to strength since 2016. Boston Manor have electrifying energy live and put a lot of effort into their live performances.

9. Terrible Town (Airways)

Peterborough based indie band, Airways have bought out their first full length album, ‘Terrible Town.’ After having seen them put on enlivening performance for their ‘Starting To Spin’ EP with a few newer singles, like ‘Alien’ and ‘Trampoline’ at the Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent and the Met Lounge in Peterborough, I was very pleased when I found out they were releasing a full length album. Opening with ‘Out of Control’ Jake (lead vocals), Brian (drums), and Jamie (guitars) start track one with a scintillating fast pace. Track 2 is the single, ‘Slow’ which was actually a song that they played in 2016, but they did not release as a single until this year. I particularly like the steady guitar beat that gradually changes tempo and the vocals sound a lot more mature since the first play. Notably, I enjoy listening to ‘Will It Tear Us Apart’ with its rhetorical questions mixed with changes in the guitar tone. I feel it is the most different on the album. ‘Listen To Your Friends’ is well written with a fun beat. Overall ‘Terrible Town’ is a promising debut album.

Jake Daniels (vocals) is trying to cycle away from his Brummie band mate, Jamie.

8. Good Enough (Led By Lanterns)

Led By Lanterns are a band that I came across this year when Spotify recommended them to me. ‘Good Enough’ is an excellent self-titled track about reminding yourself of what you have and that you are good enough. I like how this then transitions into electrifying speed of ‘Paralysis’ (one of the songs that I have listened to the most this year). ‘Catacombs’ and ‘Criminal’ have similar strengths with how the lead vocals (Shaun), guitar and backing vocals (Chris), the bass (Rob), and the drums (Snake) compliment each other. They have toured with WSTR, Mallory Knox and Normandie, and have started their music career with an exciting release that I would like to experience live.

7. Typhoons (Royal Blood)

Royal Blood are the band that I binge listened to in 2021 once ‘Typhoons’ was released. They are an extremely consistent duo, who are talented in creating a range of different songs despite being made up of a bassist and vocalist (Mike Kerr) and a drummer (Ben Thatcher). Although ‘Trouble’s Coming’ was released as a single in 2020, I have continued to listen to it throughout 2021 due to the catchy beat. ‘Limbo’ is similarly catchy and ‘Typhoons’ has both thoughtful lyrics about being needing to let go of negative thoughts and a talented rhythm. Instrumentally, I really like the tempo of ‘Boilermaker.’ However, lyric wise, out of the non-singles, I like to listen to ‘Mad Visions’ when wanting to sing about letting things go, and ‘Hold on’, a song about adversity. The only track that I tend to skip is ‘All We Have Is Now’ (well written, but rather slow for me). I have never seen Royal Blood live, but they are on my list of bands that I would like to see live.

6. SUCKAPUNCH (You Me At Six)

You Me At Six’s seventh album is far from their best album. However, it has a noteworthy eclectic mix of tracks that I have listened to throughout 2021 (the album was released in January). When ‘MAKEMEFEELALIVE’ was initially released in August 2020 as a single, I thought that it was awful on my first listen, but I now like it as an alternative band’s answer to PEOPLE by the 1975 (my favourite 1975 song, so that is a positive comment). If you have been following You Me At Six for a long time, I recommend approaching the album with an open mind. Nevertheless, ‘Nice To Me’ is my favourite album opener of their’s since ‘Loverboy’ from their 2011 album, ‘Sinners Never Sleep’; it stays true to their original sound while also sounding fresh and more mature. ‘Beautiful Way’ has an entertaining and angry speed to it and I feel that ‘Adrenaline’ could have transitioned after ‘Beautiful Way’ for complimentary themes of experiencing challenges. ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ is a track that has grown on me and I like the repetition of “I rise from the wreckage that you left in my life”, as the persona take ownership of his life. On the deluxe version, ‘Read My Mind’ is noteworthy and has a progressive build up to reflect recognising that you have not got want you want in life. SUCKAPUNCH is very different to earlier You Me At Six releases and is an album that has grown on me throughout 2021.

5. Fever (Against The Current)

Like ‘Desperate Pleasures’ by Boston Manor, Fever is a consistently strong EP, which makes me wish that it was longer. Against The Current are one of my favourite bands made up of Chrissy Costanza (lead vocals and my favourite female vocalist), Dan Gow (guitars) and Will Ferri (Drums). Lead single, ‘that won’t save us’ bought a return to a more pop-punk sound after having released an album that was more like a pop album (Past Lives) in 2018. Their newest songs sound like they have gone back to their roots while bringing something new. Chrissy writes lyrics that are personal to her own battles and I like the lines “I don’t need a light to see in the dark, I know what you’re like, I know who you are?” and “I just started giving up/but that won’t save us.” It is a reflective song that was also an enigmatic opener for their recent tour in America (I watched a live stream). ‘Weapon’ is one of the songs that I have listened to the most this year and it is a complimentary transition from ‘that won’t save us’ as it talks about struggling with highs and lows, shutting others out and having difficulties with moving on. ‘again and again’ ft Guardin is lyrically and instrumentally very strong with the lyrics “Hear me out, yeah I keep it together, ’cause we all got thoughts we never say out loud” about struggling with your own battles. ‘Jump’ is a more positive single and ‘Burn It Down’ as a beat that reminds me of older eras. Chrissy Costanza co-wrote Lullaby, one of my favourite Against The Current tracks, with Oli Sykes and Jordan Fish from Bring Me The Horizon (the lyrics linked to toxic relationships and questioning the afterlife makes me think of some songs from the Bring Me The Horizon catalogue). I am really looking forward to seeing Against The Current next year on the 10th April at the Electric Ballroom in London.

4. Greatest Hits (Waterparks)

Although Waterparks’s fourth full length album and their seventh release (their EPs/albums are alphabetical starting with Airplane Conversations) is called ‘Greatest Hits’, it is not a greatest hits album, but seventeen new tracks (one is an intro and one is an instrumental interlude so really fifteen new songs). It is a creative, experimental album, which Awsten Knight (frontman, song writer and rhythm guitarist) wrote and produced in his flat during lockdown, and it is their first album in which he was also the director for the music videos. I feel that there are some inconsistencies in the transitions between the tracks and I felt underwhelmed upon ‘Lowkey as Hell’s release as the lead single in 2020, but like it more now. With ‘Snow Globe’, a song about feeling dead since signing a record contract in 2016 and that record deals having shaken your plans, I was not sure about the auto tuning, but then once I paid attention to the lyrics, I liked it more. I thoroughly enjoy the singles that were later released. According to Spotify, I binge listened to ‘You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out To Get You),’ an honest track with some rather dark lyrics, which is still able to be fun and catchy and great live. Awsten writes exactly how he feels, he treats his career as both his therapy and his job. ‘Numb’ is my favourite single on the album; Geoff Wigington’s guitars are brilliant, Otto Wood’s drumming is excellent and Awsten additionally sings with a fast pace. ‘Magnetic’ is one of my favourite non-singles and is fantastic live with Awsten being expressive about trying to avoid negative influences. ‘Secret Life of Me’ is also great to listen to due to its fast pace and its care free theme of going on holiday with an evil twin. I also like the pop culture reference to ‘You’ in ‘Violet!’ Awsten Knight is talented at singing fast and ends the album with a rap song, ‘See You In The Future.’ I am still not sure about the One Direction, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Limp Bizkit references, but like it more than I used to and I like it even more live. Before lockdown, Waterparks were not on the Slam Dunk lineup, but then they got added to the lineup so I was ecstatic and was able to experience new songs live. ‘Greatest Hits’ is the weakest out of their four albums, in my opinion, but has some of my favourite Waterparks songs. Naming an album ‘Greatest Hits’, however begs the question: “Is Awsten Knight therefore saying it all goes downhill from here?”

3. Amazing Things (Don Broco)

‘Amazing Things’ by Bedford based Don Broco has not failed to be amazing. ‘Gumshield’ is the song that I have listened to the most this year (over ninety four times)!! I really like the metaphor of the gumshield representing the importance of protecting yourself, but then also accepting that you may need some help. The performance translates brilliantly live with the band making use of pyrotechnics when Rob Damiani (lead vocals) sings “Do I have to slam everybody in the room to prove a point because I will slam everyone in the room to prove a point?” and acts as though he is about to punch someone. I also like the music video because I like watching boxing and the Rocky films. What particularly stands out on this album is how well Rob and Matt Donnely’s (drums and backing vocals) vocals compliment each other, especially during ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan’, ‘One True Prince’, and ‘Bruce Willis.’ Tom Doyle and Simon Delaney also feature noteworthy instrumentals in ‘Endorphins’, ‘Swimwear Season.’ ‘Amazing Things’ is very consistent and maintains the zany uniqueness of Don Broco with David Beckham and a dinosaur as mascots for the album. I have had this album on repeat regularly.

2. The Greatest Mistake of My Life (Holding Absence)

Holding Absence’s second album has extremely mature lyrics and vocals considering how young the members of the band are. Lucas Woodland (26) wrote ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’ to be an album that is reflective about past mistakes and trying to move on from the past. The song, ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’ by Gracie Fields was one of his grandparents’s favourite songs and the self-titled track of the album is therefore a cover. Music is a passion that Lucas’s family shares and his sister, Caitlyn Woodland features on ‘Die Alone (In Your Lover’s Arms)’, one of the strongest songs on the album, in my opinion. ‘Celebration Song’ is a brilliant album opening celebrating how joyful it is to simply be alive. ‘Drugs and Love’ has an expression of desperation in Lucas’s voice yearning to experience love and to be out of solitude. ‘Circles’ is a reflective song about following a repetitive algorithm that you need to move on from. ‘Beyond Belief’ is my favourite single as I like the hopefulness of an experience that seems too good to be true, but actually is true!! A strength of this album is the consistency of difficult emotions mixed with happiness and the instrumental transitions between the tracks that reflect this, such as the transition from ‘Phantoms’ (a short track questioning someone’s demeanour) into ‘Mourning Song’. Overall the album is an epic release from the Cardiff based alternative band.

1. For Those Who Wish To Exist (Architects)

Since being released in January 2021, I have been playing, ‘For Those Who Wish To Exist’ most weeks of 2021!! Architects’s ninth album features a range of different songs, and some of their lightest songs (which I expect some of their original fans will dislike). During the first week of its release, it topped the official UK album charts, a huge achievement, and it was fantastic to see a band at number one. I do not skip a single track when I listen to this album. ‘Do You Dream of Armageddon?’ is possibly one of my all time favourite album openers with the gradual beating of the drums, and Sam Carter questioning finding a way to get to heaven. As the build up increases in pace, it then moves into ‘Black Lungs’ questioning “Do you cross your heart when you hope to die?” Like other albums Sam Carter sings about the purpose of life and whether there is an after life, and going against adversity. I do not skip a single track. My favourite tracks are: ‘Little Wonder’ ft Mike Kerr from Royal Blood, ‘Animals, ‘An Ordinary Extinction’ and ‘Flight Without Feathers.’ Lyrics are cleverly written, including “I want to sing you a different song one that’s easier to swallow…We can say that we wanna be saved but it’s easier to follow” (Little Wonder) as it is easier to bed led even and continue to not change. I like the metaphors and the fast tempo in an ‘Ordinary Extinction’ “When water runs dry, we’ll be slaves to the anchor” to convey feeling like you are at the ‘Edge of the World’ and exhausted. ‘Flight Without Feathers’ is a very different Architects song with no screaming, but completely clean vocals. There is a paradoxical rose blooming in a prison and Sam Carter warns about not forgetting to breathe while quickening his pace as a matter of urgency to stay true to yourself, swim against the current and not give up. I find the album very reflective and I feel that years later I will still be listening to ‘For Those Who Wish To Exist.’