Basement - Beside Myself

Basement have always felt to be on the cusp of something special. There’s a heartwarming sense of loyalty surrounding the band, who have continued to deliver across three studio albums that have each nudged open their door for ambition bit by bit. The band’s first album since signing to Fueled By Ramen, ‘Beside Myself’ is one that places their flag firmly in the ground.

Every twist and turn is one that thrives with a band knowing exactly what they want to achieve, and going out and doing it. Catchy hooks abound, with the sort of anthems that’ll ring out loud and proud at shows all over the place (look no further than ‘Disconnect’ and ‘Keepsake’ for examples of that). Here, Basement are bursting with confidence, opening up the scars and fears shared by all and screaming at the world to sing back.

It’s an album that sucks you in - one of those records that shuts out anything else about and makes you live in its world. ‘New Coast’ may be one of the most emphatic tracks released this year, while ‘Nothing Left’ rattles and rips a new gear into things, ‘Slip Away’ swaggers like a US radio titan and in closer ‘Right Here’, they showcase the raw potency of a band capturing darkness in jaw-dropping fashion.

Basement have the album they’ve always wanted, one that will take them to the biggest stages of their career so far. But ‘Beside Myself’ does more than that, and arguably stands as one of the defining rock albums of the entire year. This is where it starts, cusp no longer.

Jamie Muir