Leeds indie rockers Pigeon Detectives release their new album `TV Show` this month their first in six years. I have to say I`m not that well versed on the band but know that I have their first two albums `Wait For Me` and `Emergency` both in my collection.
`Falling To Pieces` kicks us off and it`s an upbeat bouncy anthemic number that the band wrote to play live and kick off all the mosh pits. An electronic beat leads us into `Summer Girl` which was inspired by the difficult lockdown situation frontman Matt Bowman and his wife found themselves in. His wife had undergone a kidney transplant and the singer was finding the situation difficult being confined to home. A thoughtful introspective musing.
`Lovers Come And Lovers Go` is a rock out that harks back to the breezy earworms that the band became celebrated for. Although retaining a fast pace `The Warning` is a more reflective observational offering.
Again `Dreaming Of A Song` is a fairly introspective composition that evolves slowly, rolls along and kind of sucks you in. There was an interesting passage midway with an understated guitar solo and complementing drum rim rhythm that gave the track a further poignant appeal. There`s almost an urgency to share `I Can`t Stop` a driving rock out with vocals that have a delightful inflection at times. It does take a brief time out around the two thirds mark before resuming its melodic journey.
Title track `TV Show` isn`t a ballad but a slower shimmering contemplative reverie that may well be an analogy of the band itself. There`s a recurring guitar riff that introduces us and guides us through `Hard To Love` which may be a lyrical echo of life on the road.
The album closes out with `Purple Skies` a searing indie rock out which may well be about seeking redemption for a past indiscretion.
When I was trying to evaluate this release, i came upon something that the band themselves shared which seems to really sum it up. “This album is a celebration of our journey, said bassist Dave Best. “The rest of our albums are concerned with catching a moment in time, but this is a space for us to reflect. We’ve got to a place where we can celebrate who we are, who we have been, and who we’re gonna be in the future.”
A return to form and a big welcome back to Rothwell`s finest.
Rating 8.5 /10
