Teenage Fanclub are one of life’s ever-presents – always there, always dependable, and always releasing new music. The departure of long-standing member Gerry Love presented its challenges, but 2021’s ‘Endless Arcade’ found the Glasgow-rooted group grappling with a fresh sense of evolution. This energy continues on ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, a fine set of songs bedecked in arrangements that suggest subtle, yet sometimes striking breaks with the past.
‘Foreign Land’ is a neat opener, a prime slice of 100% proof Teenage Fanclub – gilded of guitar, sighing of vocal, few touch the uncharted regions of the heart like this band. ‘Tired Of Being Alone’ carries a wistful, Autumnal atmosphere in its core, while ‘I left A Light On’ and ‘See The Light’ are aptly paired – indeed, light, emerging from the dark is an over-arching theme on this enriching LP.
‘Self-Sedation’ is striking effective, plucking at the heart-strings with astute care. The odd note of saxophone across the record reminds you of their continuing maturation, with new voices – Euros Childs and Dave McGowan – expanding the sound a little, while remaining thoroughly true to their roots.
‘Falling Into The Sun’ is gorgeous, a testament to the creative atmosphere in the studio – this time round, they opted for the bucolic setting of Rockfield Studios in Wales. You can almost imagine those rural vistas on ‘It’s Alright’ – a sense of calm, relaxing into oneself.
There’s a sense of reinforcement at work in ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, the sound of a long-standing band using one another as a point of inspiration. ‘Back To The Light’ is explicitly about this, a song in which the band’s purpose becomes a place of celebration, both of the music they create and each other.
Closing with the lengthy, languid ‘I Will Love You’, this isn’t an album that tears up the rulebook. A celebration of what makes Teenage Fanclub great, it’s a finely balanced LP of under-stated charms. ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ they say – except, perhaps, for Teenage Fanclub.
8/10
Words: Robin Murray
—
