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’90s hardcore band Understand announce new album of unreleased recordings
Over 20 years since their split, UK hardcore band Understand are back with a (sort of) new album, Real Food At Last – listen to the title-track now.
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Album review: Understand – Real Food At Last
A welcome blast from the past as short-lived hardcore legends spruce up unheard 1990s recordings…
- Words:
- Steve Beebee
Don’t call it a comeback. It isn’t. There’s no suggestion that British 1990s hardcore heroes Understand are about to bounce back into action – they sadly called it quits at the end of that decade and, tragically, guitarist John Hannon died in 2021.
At that time, the Southend quintet were already immersed in the process of reactivating this set of unreleased songs, all of which date back to their heyday. The loss of their friend cemented their determination to see it through. A band who shone briefly via classic major label debut Burning Bushes And Burning Bridges, their sound has aged well – though it’s closer to what we’d today call alternative rock or post-hardcore than modern day ‘core purveyors like Knocked Loose.
Real Food At Last is both a gripping standalone listen and a trip back in time. The guitars are feral, ridden hard and heavy, the vocals at times coruscating, and the hooks – unlike a few such genre bands – come at you like missiles. The title-track is one such contender, but You Want The News Well Here’s The Blues is even better, the chorus scarring deep from left-field. Small Boy is a powerful alt.rock song even by modern standards, while Skirt and I Can Get You In, perhaps the album’s most immediate tracks, even have echoes of Nevermind-era Nirvana in their rumbling waves of power.
It's easy to see how Understand earned such a passionate cult following decades ago. Real Food At Last can stand on its own legs; it’s a visceral, deeply-felt set of songs that’s benefited from the extra production work it has received. More than that, it’s a brief glimpse of what might have been, and one that enables us to paraphrase that popular saying: don’t be sad that it’s over, be glad that it happened.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Shelter, Nirvana, Helmet
Real Food At Last is out now via Rise