Los Campesinos! have returned just in time. The world feels like it’s going to hell in a handcart (or in a “handjob” as one of the punny titles on ‘All Hell’ suggests) so the Cardiff indie band’s compassion and intelligence feels all the more vital in these dark days.
‘All Hell’ is the band’s seventh studio effort and their first since 2017’s ‘Sick Scenes’. While its predecessor felt a little like the cult seven-piece had run out of steam, their latest is a rip-roaring and unabashedly emo return to form.
Any 15 track album runs the risk of feeling overstuffed or scattershot. Fortunately, there’s not a dull track on ‘All Hell’. Los Campesinos! are accomplished musical arrangers, coming up with endless subtle variations in song structures and emotional textures.
Album highlight Feast Of Tongues opens with delicate vocal embers, before gradually swelling to become an ornate inferno. Long Throes is simultaneously bouncy and measured, while closer Adult Acne Stigmata provides a gorgeous acoustic coda.
Frontman Gareth Paisey's remarkable lyrics deserve mention. His words unfurl as insightful, often funny freeform poetry, built on an internal language of existentialism, progressive politics and football references. His voice also sounds impeccable, frequently recalling the nasal charm of Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst.
Some especially lively tracks (The Order Of The Seasons, Moonstruck) are genuinely exhilarating, pairing energy and melancholia in a way that feels raw, messy and ecstatic. In short, like the rest of ‘All Hell’, they feel deeply human.
Los Campesinos! Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri September 20 2024 - SHEFFIELD Foundry
Sat September 21 2024 - GLASGOW QMU
Sun September 22 2024 - MANCHESTER New Century
Fri September 27 2024 - BRISTOL SWX
Sat September 28 2024 - BRIGHTON Chalk
Sun September 29 2024 - BIRMINGHAM Crossing
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