Album opener ‘Foreign Land’ glides into life, traversing the distance from Laurel Canyon to Hamilton in the blink of an eye. It’s an effortlessly beautiful track, the likes of which only comes with natural brilliance or decades of hard graft.
This is a band that knows the importance of a positive first impression on record, but nowadays, the group doesn’t put many feet wrong, ambling onwards at a relaxed pace. The lyrical tone might shift from record to record, and the title of Nothing Lasts Forever suggests the presence of dark days. However, Teenage Fanclub never wallow. They get to work, doing what they do best: making you feel better about yourself and life around you.
With the word ‘light’ featured in three titles, obsessives will have a field day, but for everyone else, it’s Norman and Raymond channelling their influences, spinning dust into melodic diamonds time and time again.
There’s a feeling of contentment with the record, and considering the upheaval of recent years is no more, this is the band you’ll get. It might not be the Teenage Fanclub some have always loved, but there’s still so much to like here. As one of the many sunshine moments tell us, ‘It’s Alright’.
Nothing Lasts Forever is out on 22nd September via PeMa. Pre-order here.
