There are words we use in reviews that, if we’re honest, don’t always mean very much. “Progressive”, for example. You say it, hope everyone knows what you mean, and move on. But what does it actually mean to make progressive music?
The Pineapple Thief might offer an answer. On their sixteenth album, they’re still pushing forward, still trying to be interesting, still looking for something new. Perhaps that is the very essence of it. The dichotomy, though, is that over their last few records they’ve sounded increasingly like a rock band, and “Far And Wide” takes that further.
“New World Order” sets things in motion with something discordant and interesting, unsettling and catchy all at once. That combination is crucial. You might feel slightly wrong-footed, but these songs have a way of getting inside your head regardless.
“Hold The Ashes” has a guitar line that wails over the drums. “Can anybody hear me?” asks Bruce Soord, and there’s a desperation in the question. Yet somehow, amid all this unease, the melodies lodge themselves in your brain. The Pineapple Thief can make something feel uncomfortable and still leave you wanting to hear it again.
“Still Living” sounds so fragile it might shatter under the least pressure. The harmonies add to that feeling, while the structure seems to follow its own rules entirely. There’s something absorbing about the way it unfolds: you keep listening because you want to know where it will go.
“God Knows” is more serious, tougher, even industrial in places. There’s a sense of confusion running through it, whereas “This Empty Space” is gentler. The deliberate vocal delivery matters here, as does the sense that everything has been planned to the nth degree. Even the quieter moments demand your attention.
They’re never less than interesting, and the military drumbeat of “Scattering Like Flies” qualifies on that score. “Something’s gotta give,” offers Soord, and there’s a touch of foreboding hanging over the whole thing. The rhythm adds to the tension rather than allowing it to settle.
Perhaps more than any other band, The Pineapple Thief exist in atmosphere. “Through The Noise” underlines that. “The constant noise in my head” is a line here, and maybe these songs are an attempt to make sense of it, or at least find a way through.
“Who Wants It” is perhaps as rock as they’ve ever been. Indeed, for the first time, there’s no acoustic track on a Pineapple Thief album. The shift feels particularly apparent here, although the detail and intrigue remain.
“No Exceptions”, the longest piece on the record, conveys sensational ambition. “We understand what is going on,” runs one line, and it ends with a message of hope. Given everything that precedes it, that feels significant.
The whole record seems rooted in 2026, in its gathering clouds and its gloom. Yet it keeps searching for a silver lining. Maybe that, in itself, is progressive: finding a way forward when wallowing would be easier.
Whatever you choose to call them, The Pineapple Thief are a band operating on their own terms. “Far And Wide” is a tremendous record.
Rating: 8/10
