ALBUM REVIEW: The Subways – Uncertain Joys

Alcopop! Records

Released: 13.01.23

The Subways’ first LP in seven years is a brave attempt to expand their sound, embracing synths on tracks like emo/pop crossover Love Waiting On You, that ultimately falls short of being anything other than a missed opportunity.

The band’s reliance on their everything-at-full-throttle approach, like opener You Kill My Cool’s rock riffing and the title track’s high adrenaline punk pop, means Billy Lunn’s lyrical themes exploring his BPD diagnosis are sadly swept under the rug with a brush of rock bravado, making the satirical Swanky Al a little less satirical. The record shines when the band let Charlotte Cooper’s backing vocals breathe on the melancholic Joli Coeur and the one time they slow things down on the tender Lavender Amelie.