Fuck yeah – this really is the feel good record of the year. When ‘More Betterness’ came out I fell in love with NUFAN, that record summed up my last year at university and I can picture exactly where I was when I play certain tracks. While the recent albums have been good they’ve not lived up to that record for me – until now. Seriously, one spin of ‘Biggest Lie’ is all you will need to know Tony Sly an co are back to their very best.
This record encapsulates exactly what is so good about No Use For A Name. The production, as ever, is spot on, as songs slide off one another and blast out chorus after chorus. ‘Biggest Lie’ is fantastic, ‘Under The Garden’ is a great pop song with an accelerated drum beat and ‘Ontario’ is a cracker too. Even the album’s slower songs sound perfect – ‘Yours To Destroy’ has a fabulous vocal melody that builds up into a really strong chorus by the end and the acoustic musings of ‘Sleep Between Trucks’ creates a nice break from the faster tracks.
This record really is a feel good album, perfect for a hot summer’s day. It proves that even after all these years No Use For A Name are still relevant and still better than most of the bands that have come along after them. For those too young to have heard NUFAN in the past, this is an excellent starting point for a great, great band.