Those Made Broken – A Door You Can Never Close
Those Made Broken – A Door You Can Never Close
Self-Released
Release Date: 01/09/2026
Review by Beth Morait
8/10
Those Made Broken are an Alt Grunge Rock band from Glasgow who are a completely new name on me. This album is their sophomore album and, according to the press release, has been recorded in a larger stage space, rather than the standard isolated booth, digitised studio norm, to give it a raw edge, as opposed to a highly polished over-produced product. So, does that help connect the music with the audience, which is the band’s intention?
I’m going to be honest; I can’t hear a difference… Maybe that’s just my shit ears. But what I do hear is some very solid songwriting, and a sound that I like. It’s hard to describe. It’s kind of Emo, with decent Melodic Rock passages, sections that are Proggy and exploratory, and really nice clean vocals, but with slightly spikey, grungy guitars sitting under everything, and atmospheric samples/ keys to add some extra depth. Kind of like if Richard Marx was just starting out now, with modern synth sounds, after spending a lot of time in his teens listening to a mixture of Portishead and Alice In Chains while doomscrolling social media (listen to ‘Obsession’ for the full-on Richard Marx reference here).
It’s very heartfelt and melancholy, which gives it that Emo quality. But that’s not a bad thing. This isn’t an album that’s going to make you want to get up and dance, though. It’s more of a ‘sitting in a darkened room, wistfully yearning for something’ montage record. That, again, isn’t a negative though. We all need that kind of ‘accompanying music’ in our lives, because it’s that very thing that makes us actually feel connected – “here’s a band whose songs reflect my life, my emotions, my deepest thoughts.” The juxtaposition of expansive sound with emotional intimacy is very clever. That goes way further than just the method of recording. That’s all in the songwriting skills of the band.
Is it the most ground-breaking and exciting album you’ll hear this year? No. And if you’re looking for something heavy, this likely won’t be gritty enough to float your boat. But it has a certain endearing, gentle quality to it that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I know I like it, and that’s enough for me.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Almost Human
02. Simpleman
03. Ecuador
04. Echo Chamber
05. Obsession
06. Monsters
07. These City Walls
08. Little Keeper of Light
09. Have Everything
10. Rest
LINKS:
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