Los Campesinos! - All Hell
Indie Rock – Released July 19, 2024 – 15 songs, 49 mins
REID
TSR’s 130th written review comes from a seven-piece indie band from Wales. Los Campensinos! have been around since 2008 and have substituted members along the way with only Gareth David Paisey (lead vocals), Neil Turner (guitar) and Tom Bromley (multi-instrumentalist) remaining from the original lineup. One of the best rewards of this blog is uncovering hidden gems and this band has garnered significant acclaim and have a cult-like following. All Hell is their seventh studio album and the potential findings in this deep discography is exciting if this one sticks.
LC established standout, admirable qualities many others would be wise to adapt on this record.
They do their own production and songwriting. Tom Bromley took the reins as a producer for the first time. Who else to zero in and emphasize the band’s true strengths than an uber talented musician and long-standing member of the band. The gamble paid off.
They released when they were ready and weren’t pressured by industry norms. With their name loosely based on the Spanish translation for peasants, LC play the role of underdog and beat to their own drum. “Rather than forcing ourselves to finish, we were like, it's ready when it's ready, and it's ready when it's good and we're happy with it,” says Bromley. “That was a unique experience for us. That was the defining feature of this album.” (The Line of Best Fit). How often has TSR quipped about an album that felt rushed?
The true beauty of All Hell lies in its lyricism. Los Campensinos! leave no stone unturned with a remarkable way of expressing themselves. Their poetry of existential dread elevates this collection of tracks from just another indie rock record to one worth zeroing in and unraveling. Case in point on the opener, The Coin-Op Guillotine. A four-plus minute chorus-less song longing for their younger years. On A Psychic Wound, Gareth sings ‘If you’re not the one that’s leaving you’re the one that’s left behind’. A tune focused on the heartache of a break-up and a quote I can only describe as meme-worthy. In a good way. The Order of the Seasons is another one on failed relationships and dating; ‘While the happiness ain’t certain, the heartbreak’s guaranteed. When the halo slips we beg instead, give us this day our daily dread.’. The examples are endless. The songwriting is pristine.
The additional members of this group bring the music to another level. The duel guitars, strings, a complete song with female vocals (Kim Paisey – kms) are the top examples of excellent incorporations to a genre chock full of competition. Stripping this group of an ounce of its creativity seems criminal. In the same breath, All Hell would benefit immensely from a three to four song trim. Typical TSR right? Complaining about length? Well, it’s true! The fifty-minute runtime does drag along at times with its similar sounding songs and it would be that much better if rectified.
Veteran bands often lose their spark and creativity. That is not the case for Los Campesinos!. All Hell puts a modern twist on indie emo rock with a master class in lyricism.
Overall Rating: 8.3/10
Favourite Song: Feast of Tongues
LUNDI
Los Campesinos! are a fresh band on my radar, but they’re an endlessly loved indie pop outfit nearing the mark of 20 years young. With three original members holding strong, the band are back with their seventh studio album and first in over seven years. All Hell is a welcomed return for the cult followers of this septet from Wales. Despite being my introduction to the band it’s easy to see why they’re so beloved. Let’s break it down.
Pop rock music is a tedious genre. There’s no shortage of it out there. The masses love it. It’s easy, it’s comfortable. For me it’s a genre that often fails to fulfill my appetite for musical depth and substance. The lyrical content is safe and most often basic. Los Campesinos! you are definitely not most often. Gareth Paisey’s wordplay is cut throat and humorous with an uncanny ability to break down what you stand for and make you laugh at the same time. The lyrical content is bar none incredible. Ranging from tongue in cheek killing yourself over gifting a winning scratch ticket to tearing down the leaders of the world over corrupt policies, there is nothing off limits for this group. It’s a musical gift that keeps giving with each spin. Every turn of every track uncovers a new lyrical moment that’s crafted to perfection, making it an absolute joy for poetic lovers.
With seven plus years between albums it’s clear the band was sitting on a treasure trove of content. Even at 15 songs and 49 minutes the album never dares to outstay its welcome. While the first four tracks feel safe, like a band trying to shake the cobwebs of their hiatus, the backing woo’s of Long Throes signal a shift in creativity, sending the listener on a spiralling expression of musical aptitude that keeps on giving. The band take on more risks with each successive track, layering multiple guitars, vocals, strings, and synths. Each element presenting itself more with every welcomed spin making this album one to stick with. The album grows louder, more aggressive and builds beyond a traditional rock pop album with every play as each and every member are able to include their musical DNA to influence the bands final sound. While Los Campesinos! certainly aren’t breaking down barriers musically, they sit comfortably atop the pop rock class they’ve mastered.
Los Campesinos! have been around the block. Their reputation precedes them. There’s only one reason you can last this long as a band and still feel fresh. They’re just damn good at making music. Check out All Hell or better yet join me in diving into the whole discography.
Overall Rating: 8.3/10
Favourite Song: Feast of Tongues
ROZ
Music is a dynamic artform with plenty of talking points to choose from; composition, style, band lineup – the list goes on and on. One common talking point has to do with time, and it’s one that I always find myself fixating on. Some artists constantly belt out new music (looking at you King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard), while some take the more patient route of releasing every few years. Then you have the one hit wonders, as well as the classic ‘older band making a resurgence on the scene with mixed results’. This week’s band falls into a very interesting category: one that has seen much critical success, has a cult following, and is fresh off a long hiatus. Welsh band Los Campesinos!, a 7-piece arrangement led by vocalist Gareth Paisey is a peculiar one – big on the underground UK scene, but not big enough where the members can quit their day jobs. Other than my research on the bands part-time nature, I know very little about their catalogue and am chomping at the bit to dig in further. This week’s review is for their seventh studio album (and coincidentally their first album in seven years), All Hell.
This is an album that has the general feelings and makings of a throwback to the indie rock and pop punk of the early 2000’s, as if a mad scientist took parts of blink 182 and Death Cab for Cutie to create some sort of emo-rock Frankenstein. As I sit here pondering, I find myself wondering if Tom DeLonge and Ben Gibbard would (or do) get along in real life – probably not considering Tom’s general batshit craziness, but I digress. What sets Los Campesinos! apart from many of the other bands who pay homage to this era, however, is the top tier writing abilities and lyricism of front-man Gareth Paisey, who’s clever wordplay keeps me heavily engaged through each pass through. It’s been a while since I’ve heard such quality lyricism so clearly laid out on an indie rock album and it’s this element that adds such replay value to the album as a whole. ‘Love lies bleeding in dead bouquet / Dread the dripping years and wish away each day / Swear I’d live through all of your nightmares / If it meant that I could sleep okay.’; I mean come on now, that is just God-damned fantastic.
Stand outs are many but three spring to mind in an instant. Hard hitting drums merge perfectly with Gareth’s crooning delivery of addicting hooks on Holy Smoke (2005), while throughout Feast of Tongues the man brings about a more solemn tone that melds with a somber string arrangement and piano elements before eventually building itself up into a hard-hitting climax. Sole female of the group Kim Paisey (yes, sister of lead vocalist Gareth Paisey) switches it up by taking the listener for an unexpected ride across kms, adding a fresh vocal timbre and nice female touch to an otherwise testosterone-laced track listing. Creativity is afoot in more ways than one – from top to bottom the song titles themselves are near as good as the songs they identify, save for the fact that I could have gone my entire life without ever reading the words To Hell in a Handjob. To hell in a what now? I'll take the regular route, thanks..
Los Campesinos! focus their lens on the depressing condition of our society and they do it with impeccable style. With that, All Hell brings forward a sound that feels nostalgic yet current; the best of both worlds. One can only hope that the band will increase their output going forward and give the world more ‘sleeper hits’ for ‘weeping dipshits’ – their words, not mine.
Overall Rating: 8.1/10
Favourite Song: Feast of Tongues