The Subways – Uncertain Joys
Alcopop! Records
Release Date: 13/01/2023
Running Time: 44:00
Review by Rory Bentley
7.5/10
Continuing what I’m terming ‘The 2005-as-fuck-athon’ I’m embarking on in these infant stages of 2023, it’s time for a review of the brand new fifth studio album from UK Indie Punks The Subways. Apologies in advance to our international readers, this review may get a little bit Anglo-centric for the next few paragraphs. The 2000’s or ‘the noughties’ as we termed them here on this rainy isle, were a time when, unlike today, guitar music ruled the airwaves in Britain, spearheading a huge chunk of bands often with ‘The’ at the start of their names and predominantly fronted by skinny floppy haired lads in drainpipe trousers and winklepicker shoes. Most of whom were absolutely abysmal in this writer’s opinion.
As with any mainstream music trend, there were a few pretty decent bands that had very little to do with this twangy wave of mediocrity but were pulled into its vapid vortex by an Indie press at the very nadir of its barrel-scraping ways. Poor old Bloc Party didn’t deserve this guilt by association, neither did Foals and neither did The Subways. Propelled by the mainstream-bothering ‘Rock & Roll Queen’, which would go onto crop up in media as wide ranging as a mascara advert and a Die Hard movie, Billy Lunn’s gang of Hertfordshire Punks were guilty of nothing other than playing strutting Punk Rock that just so happened to do those Indie terrace anthems in a manner far superior to the chancers of the day.
Now that the dust has finally settled and the vast majority of what would be termed the ‘Indie Landfill’ bands of the noughties have either fucked off or are playing your local Blue Peter bring and buy sale (told you this would get really British), it is now possible to view The Subways in the cold light of day as a fun, catchy band with a talent for sarcastic one-liners wrapped in sugar-sweet hooks. Which is exactly what we get with “Uncertain Joys”, along with a little bit of experimentation that is very welcome at this stage in the game.
If you want those big fuzzed out riffs and snarled vocals, then the sneering opener ‘You Kill My Cool’ has got you covered, as does the equally grubby ‘Incantation’, which makes a mockery of those accusations that the band was part of the myriad of wet farts in pork pie hats that sprung up from the ground during their early days. It doesn’t hurt that the song spends a big chunk of its runtime referencing voodoo and witchcraft in a way that sweaty Metal nerds would be wanking off if it was performed by some crap Thrash band that’s suddenly been touted as ‘underrated’ because they haven’t had the good sense to quit yet, and they played your local pub and let you buy them a pint. Sorry, that was a little bit personal, but you get the idea. Apologies to Acid Reign.
As that last paragraph demonstrates, I love a good bitchy lyric and there’s some absolute corkers on here that make me want to clutch a handbag Vic and Bob style in mock outrage. Despite its slightly clunky title, ‘Influencer Killed The Rock Star’ manages to stay just the right side of an old man yelling at a cloud to skewer the very worst of YouTubers, Tiktokers and the like and the way that they have replaced musicians and artists as the object of adoration for much of today’s youth. There’s just enough of a knowing wink and a spritely spring in the step to avoid sounding out of touch with the yoot, though even typing that makes me feel seven thousand years older old. ‘Swanky Al’ is even more acerbic as it skewers odious lead singers and nepo-babies with less compassion for its characters than the last Cannibal Corpse album. Poor old Matt Healy from The 1975 is actually explicitly name dropped as “Matty in a paddy, he’s got two famous folks” and labelled a bargain bin Michael Hutchence. You see grebos – someone hates these big Indie bands more than you do!
It’s not all snark and mean jokes about leather trousers, though. ‘Lavender Amalie’ is a genuinely lovely, sunny ballad that hits like a breath of fresh air after being cramped in the fart infested sardine can that is the London Underground (nice Subway reference right?), after a deluge of songs that feel like they’ve got up on the wrong side of the bed. Likewise, the unironic joy of ‘Black Wax’, which bursts with enthusiasm about how great discovering your favourite music is, provides a huge highlight and is my own personal favourite cut here.
In other positive news the incorporation of Synth and Electronic elements is a welcome addition, particularly on the breezy title track and the more expansive and experimental closer ‘Futures’, which welds this newfound proclivity for New Wave to the heaviest, nastiest elements of the band’s sound, and in turn proves that they were always a cut above the sea of beige that they were unjustly lumped in with initially.
To be honest aside from some slightly on the nose yet still quite enjoyable Punk-by-numbers on ‘Fight’ and a few competent but inessential tracks that bloat the runtime slightly, there’s very little to criticise here. I’d like to see the electronic element incorporated more widely across the record, as when it is utilised it adds so much vigour and sheen to those big hooks, but hopefully that will be something that crops up on album number six.
Despite giving me a delightful nostalgia kick in this most gloomy of months, “Uncertain Joys” is the work of a band still looking forward with plenty to say and plenty to offer modern Rock music. Now dig out that ‘Inbetweeners’ boxset, banish the memory of Fearne Cotton and let me wallow a little longer in a time where I was still thin!
‘Black Wax’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. You Kill My Cool
02. Love Waiting On You
03. Uncertain Joys
04. Incantation
05. Black Wax
06. Lavender Amalie
07. Fight
08. Influencer Killed The Rock Star
09. Swanky Al
10. The Devil and Me
11. Joli Coeur
12. Futures
LINE-UP:
Billy Lunn – Guitar and Vocals
Charlotte Cooper – Bass and Vocals
Camille Phillips – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.