One of Reading’s greatest bands is ready to take on the world. Out January 30th on Capitol Records.
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This album has been a long time coming. Only The Poets formed all the way back in 2017 after lead singer and guitarist Tommy Longhurst was inspired to put a band together following a weekend at Reading Festival. As a local lad the festival meant a great deal to him. Tommy told us, “Having that festival so close to your doorstep and seeing all those amazing artists is really inspiring as a young musician.”
Andrew “Andy/Roo” Burge was the first to join. Marcus Yates and Clem Cherry eventually completed the current line-up. They worked hard on the local Reading scene, including appearances at The Purple Turtle and the pub circuit. They developed a strong live reputation and proceeded to build a following, both in the UK and across Europe. Germany has particularly taken them to their hearts. They signed to a major label in 2023, put out a couple of singles and then began working on the album in between eye catching supports slots for the likes of Yungblud and, more recently, The Wombats.
The sound has evolved over the years. They have always leaned into commercial sounding work but they have moved from indie-pop into a range of smoothly executed tracks featuring elements from alt-pop through to R & B. It is clear that Universal Music Group think they are the real deal and have a huge future. The campaign for the album build up has been very inventive, but has also leaned into what the band believe in – supporting access to live music and giving opportunities to newer bands. Only The Poets are a truly authentic bunch. What you see is what you get in terms of honesty and warmth.
The album opener ‘And I’d Do It Again’ is a swirling, shimmering minute of warm up. A small hint of the styles and tones located within the rest of the album. ‘Monumental’ kicks things off properly, a seriously pop-leaning piece of guitar music. It is quickly clear that this an album fully designed for an assault on mainstream Radio One playlist territory. The band sound great, Tommy Longhurst’s voice is tuneful, emotive and rich.
The album then goes up several gears with the stunning single, and album highlight, ‘Emotionally Hungover.’ It is a massive tune, already crossing a million streams across online services and it will keep going. It is musically uplifting with a soaring chorus, the lyrics have a fine sentiment that bring the emotions down a fraction at points, but has really connected with the Only The Poets fan base. When an event overwhelms us, it can leave us feeling “emotionally hungover”. It is a simple, eloquent description of an idea that pretty much anyone can relate to at some point in their life. In the hands of The 1975 this would be an absolute national moment, how far and how big can Only The Poets go? If they carry on writing tracks of this quality then the sky is the limit.
Next up is another massive single, ‘Thinking Bout Your Ex.’ This ramps up the R & B vibes and shows how much they have evolved over the last five years of releases. It is clearly the same band that dropped a really interesting set of demos in 2021, but everything is so much more vibrant. They have been seeking a sound and a level of quality and it really seems like they have found it on this debut album. In this track Tommy obsesses over a girlfriends ex. However, rather than being weird or stalkerish, it is about not being able to understand why anyone would give such a wonderful person up, and how he won’t repeat that mistake.
With their clear talk about the importance of mental health and males getting in touch with their feelings it is safe to say Only The Poets are likely to strike a chord with female audiences and more progressive males the whole world over.
A lot of the songs have been released in the run-up to the album launch, six of the fourteen tracks. ‘Sake’ is one of them, a reference to the Japanese rice wine. It is solid, but doesn’t fizz as much as the previous two tracks. ‘You Hate That I’m In Love’ gets things back on track with more of that danceable pop sound.
You wait ages for a track called ‘Madeline’ and then two come along in quick succession. This is very different to the high drama of Lily Allen’s alleged David Harbour character assassination. It is also differentiated by the more American style pronunciation Tommy employs of “Mad-e-line.”
Of the unreleased tracks ‘Freeze’ is an absolute monster, definitely stronger than several of the singles that were released. It is almost too short at 2 minutes and 16 seconds. The music cutely reflects the title, repeatedly stopping for the briefest of seconds after the line, “Wishing this night would freeze.” ‘Say’ is nearly as good, driven along at pace.
The album is full of honest emotional responses to situations that will be instantly relatable to the majority of people listening. Whilst anyone can enjoy the music, you suspect this will connect deeply with older teens and those in their early twenties, who will recognise the relationship dramas and realisations most keenly.
The quality tracks just keep on coming. ‘God Knows Where You Were’ is one of several points where their interest in 80s synths and guitar sounds comes more to the fore. ‘I Keep On Messing It Up’ is the other truly spectacular single on the album. This is pop music at its finest, married to an emotionally honest narrative as Tommy reflects on mistakes he has made.
The album comes to a finish with “Guess She’s Cool.” It is another perfectly crafted slice of pop excellence. It has a simple but catchy chorus that hooks you in, like much of the album presented here.
This is a superb pop album created by a talented band with a huge future in front of them. It is chock full of catchy choruses and emotional honesty. This is a band that will have posters put on bedroom walls and fans going to multiple nights of tours. Their time is now.
Essential Tracks: ‘Monumental,’ ‘Emotionally Hungover,’ ‘Thinking About Your Ex,’ ‘Freeze,’ ‘I Keep On Messing It Up’ and ‘Guess She’s Cool.’
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