Nature TV - Unlucky For Some

Nature TV's 'Unlucky For Some' wears its heart on its vintage-patterned sleeve, delivering a collection of crooning indie-pop that feels nostalgic and refreshingly earnest. The Brighton outfit's debut full-length treads familiar ground with enough personality to carve out its own identity.

The album opens with 'One Step Forward', establishing the band's affinity for classic songwriting wrapped in modern indie sensibilities. Their approach recalls the retro-tinged storytelling of labelmates Trudy and the Romance, though Nature TV lean more heavily into melancholic territory. The production throughout maintains a warm, lived-in quality that suits the material well, with modulated guitars and steady rhythms creating an inviting backdrop for the narrative-driven lyrics.

'Always It Goes' captures the band at their most contemplative, building around the telling observation "No one close, but no real enemies" - a line that epitomises the album's preoccupation with life's quiet disappointments. This theme continues through 'Simple Dog', where playful canine metaphors barely mask an underlying sadness, and into 'My Life', which manages to package its downbeat message in deceptively upbeat arrangements.

The record's emotional centre arrives with 'Travelling Girl', a heartbreak ballad that demonstrates the band's ability to craft affecting character studies. While the vintage-influenced sound occasionally threatens to overshadow the songwriting, there's an authenticity to the delivery that keeps things grounded.

By the time of closer 'Subtle Treasures', with its reassuring refrain of "There's no need to worry", the album has earned its moment of optimism. It's a fitting conclusion to a record that spends much of its runtime exploring anxiety and uncertainty, offering a glimmer of hope without undermining the weight of what came before.