News
Loathe, Joyce Manor and more join Outbreak Fest Manchester line-up
The Manchester edition of Outbreak is expanding further still, with Loathe, Joyce Manor, Midrift, Lip Critic and more set to perform.
Navigation menu for Kerrang!
Reviews
Album review: Basement – WIRED
UK post-hardcore grandees Basement’s heroic return after eight years away proves that absence does make the heart grow fonder on bold fifth album.
- Words:
- Jack Butler-Terry
Basement’s story is one of celebration and caution in equal measure. After their lauded debut I Wish I Could Stay Here catapulted them into the UK post-hardcore spotlight, they disbanded in 2012, but continued to amass a considerable fanbase. Upon their return in 2014 and through two more albums, they attracted the attention of alt.rock powerhouse label Fueled By Ramen, with whom they released their fourth album, 2016's Promise Everything.
It says a lot, then, that that album cycle ushered in a second hiatus that had only broken for a smattering of live shows in an eight-year span, but now, having returned to their roots with Run For Cover Records, they have created an album that guitarist Alex Henery describes as, “What I've always wanted Basement to sound like.”
There’s no massive shift in the broad strokes of what Basement do, but they do play with a freedom that translates into a sublime listening experience. The dreamy, echoing chords of Broken By Design are a salve to the pummelling title-track. Head Alight’s floaty choruses sound ready-made for their live set, as do the more rousing hooks of Time Waster.
The care and attention given to these 12 tracks has every member at the top of their game, none more so than vocalist Andrew Fisher, whose lyrics are more hopeful than ever before. There’s always been a sadness that pervades Basement’s lyrics, but on tracks like Embrace, the focus is on the future instead of what once was. ‘How do we go on after love is gone?’ is mournful but comforting in its search for solutions.
The brilliance of WIRED is understated, it hides in the nooks and crannies of Basement’s singular sound. Call it poetic justice, but that this album gets better with every listen is a fitting evaluation for a record that has been written and reworked across so many years. The bottom line, though, is that Basement are back, and it feels as though they never left.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Turnstile, The Menzingers, Superheaven
WIRED is released on May 8 via Run For Cover.
