CLOSR Music

It doesn't get much better than seeing an arena-sized act in an intimate venue, and last Thursday, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Courteeners play at the Octagon in Sheffield. Marketed as a 'warm-up' gig for their huge Lytham festival set, the Manchester-based four-piece were on top form. My gig partner was also on top form as he proceeded to remove his shirt and continually swing it around like a plane propeller, as Liam Fray announced, "This song's called Summer."   We were also treated to some brand-new music from Courteeners on Thursday night. It's been seven long years since the release of the band's sixth studio album More. Again. Forever. But it was great to finally hear some new 'Teeners' tunes. Packed to the brim with catchy lyrics and booming guitar riffs, the new stuff went down like a triumphant Oasis reunion. It was also nice to see the setlist refreshed with songs such as "Take Over The World" and "One Day At...

Picture this I’m on my daily lunchtime walk, the sun is shining, and I've just placed my first-generation AirPods (Rock and Roll, I know) in my ears and pressed play on Afraid Of Tomorrows. What greeted my ears left me gobsmacked. "The Last Dance" was four and a half minutes of absolute musical therapy . I went from casually strolling to feeling as though I could complete the London Marathon. It was pure adrenaline-driven euphoria—the perfect way to start an album, and it left me excited for the rest of it. What really made Afraid Of Tomorrows stand out for me was the wonderful storytelling throughout the album. Each song felt like a different award-winning Netflix series. One minute, I'm battling the Demogorgon in "Sink Ya Teeth," the next I'm falling in love like Penelope from Bridgerton through the song "Hawkmoon." I always say that if songs don't make you feel an emotion when you listen, they’re not good songs. But throughout Afra...

 

Midnight Butterflies made me feel like an 18 year old who's only concern was how many of us were going around town clubbing at the weekend. Sea Girls third studio album adds some real variety into their discography. 'Midnight Butterflies' is packed full to the brim like a Tub Of Heroes with Eclairs (Shoutout to all you Eclair Lovers) with the catchy chorus's and guitar riffs we've come to expect from the London based four piece.  We were treated to six releases prior to the release of the full album and out of the pre-released songs a personal highlight for me was 'I Want You To Know Me'. Marketed as the follow up to 'Do You Really Wanna Know' this direction was an extremely bold move by the band due to the commercial success of the 2020 hit but it delivers wonderfully. "I wanna be a singer in a pop band", Henry you're a singer in an indie band, a very good indie band! Whilst the pre-released songs were fantastic, the ones released on t...

  “Welcome back to Trench” are the first words of the duo's song "Overcompensate" from their seventh studio album, Clancy. While many fans hoped for a Trench 2.0, Clancy couldn't be further from it if it tried. The ‘Dema’ story line has been a fixture in Twenty One Pilots’ music since 2018’s Trench. Listeners are willingly thrown into a narrative where the main protagonist, Clancy—revealed to be Tyler Joseph at the start of this album cycle—attempts to escape a fictional dystopia called Dema. This story line is largely a metaphor for Tyler’s mental health. It's easy to empathise with Tyler, who began this story line as a relatively young man. Fast forward eight years, and after a global pandemic, a wedding, and fatherhood, continuing this dystopian narrative was always going to be challenging. One of the highlights of this album is "Next Semester," which genuinely gave me severe whiplash in the best way possible (Hey kid, get out of the road!). From hea...

Billie Eilish has listeners on puppet strings. One moment I’m rocking out like Iron Maiden headlining Download Festival, the next I’m drowning in tears as deep as the English Channel. Honestly, being a puppet on a string isn’t always a bad thing, is it? (Mr. Alex Turner) ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ is the third studio album from the 22-year-old artist, and calling it a bold collection of songs is an understatement. Whilst each song sounds different, there is a wonderful sense of cohesion throughout the 10-track album. If ‘Black Mirror’ was an album, it would be ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT .’ Eilish shows real growth, lyrically drawing on her positive and negative life experiences. From ‘CHIHIRO's’ EDM-inspired synths to ‘THE GREATEST's’ rock vibe, ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ feels like a celebration of Eilish's successful career so far. It’s easy to put some artists in boxes, but Eilish completely ‘buries a friend’ with this stereotype. Billie Eilish is a trailblazer in the music industry,...