[Etherish] Hop on the Spacehopper Express

Back in the Ether Song days, the band were asked what they’d say to fans who might need time to get used to the different sound of the second album compared to the acoustic lo-fi vibes of The Optimist Lp… Some of my Turin Brakes friends and me still refer to that “Hop on the Turin Brakes bus”-mentality the band mentioned in that context. They were simply not gonna make The Optimist Part 2 and each following album would probably react to the previous one in some form or another. Of course, it’s over 2 decades and you could argue whether anything anyone said over 20 years ago is still valid… But Olly also mentioned the band would be a 10-album-band over two decades ago and in just a few days time, that 10th studio album is a reality for all of us. So why not?

Now there have been times where I’ve either bought advance album promos or have been granted early access to the album and I could tease or gush about the album in advance. This album cycle (not unlike the last one), I’m going in as any other fan. So truly, I have no idea what’s happening any more than any other fan reading this.

Still, we have some crumbs, besides the songs we’ve already heard of course… In the XS Noize podcast Olly talks about the new album and we can expect a couple of things… Apparently this is going to be a reflective album (something that’s mirrored quite literally in the press photo on the official website and top of this page), full of references to previous albums. There was even one already in album opener The Message, with the wires in the walls-line calling back to Ether Song‘s hidden track (or actually being the summary of the whole album’s theme. Although I’ve found deep meaning in various Turin Brakes, I didn’t realise we’d get Taylor Swift-style callbacks to previous songs, but consider my brain activated when the album arrives at the end of next week (or soon thereafter). Curious to see what other references we’ll find in the album. Old Habits includes a middle-eight callback to Feeling Oblivion, but more on that later.

The first song Spacehopper surprised me a lot. After listening to a short preview I was curious to see where this would go. I like the boldness of the chorus, which puts a bold spin on a song that otherwise felt like a sequel to Wide-Eyed Nowhere. Which you know, is fine, had I not heard a preview that suggested to me that Turin Brakes put on glamrock suits and travelled back a few decades for some great rock tune. So the first tune ended up being more in the tradition of Always, Wait and Up For Grabs perhaps. The song describes a cute moment in Olly’s garden as a metaphor for simpler times. Combined with the smooth production, it did take me aback a bit but I was still happy because my favourite band is back!

I was chatting to Ether Site on-air co-host via Whatsapp and he’s actually convinced Turin Brakes messed up here: they should have released The Message first and then Spacehopper. And I kind of get why he’s saying that. The Message sounds much more like a comeback statement to me than the first single Spacehopper does. So maybe that would have been better?

Also, Spacehopper has a directness to it, an instantness that almost demands an instant judgement on whether you’re gonna love or hate it, no in-between. But honestly, when my favourite band FINALLY releases a new album, I want to dive in, swim around in ideas and sounds and hear new things and the follow-up songs The Message and Old Habits allow for that a lot more than ‘comeback track’ Spacehopper initially did.

Then again, revisiting said title track after the follow-up singles, kind of removed the weight of expectation of it for me, and then I can appreciate it for what it is: skip-in-your-step verses with a building chorus. I’m curious what the context of the rest of the album will do for this title track. I’m starting to appreciate how the new songs flow and really get stuck in their own rhythm and groove. But yea, hopefully I’ll get my thoughts back in place for a proper review once I’ve listened to it for a week straight… 🙂

Now as I said before, Old Habits features a musical reference to Feeling Oblivion, which suits the song really well. I must say I missed it the first few times I listened to it. Feeling Oblivion is actually one of my favourite songs to play on the guitar (even though my voice is straining for it these days) so when it did click, I was like “HOW did I not hear this before?” I think that’s my lesson for this Friday when I hit play: loose the expectations, close my eyes and stream away. With some looking back, some new sounds and a collection of new Turin Brakes songs that will get stuck in my head… But first: just listen. Here’s to hopping on the Turin Brakes bus again!