Suede: Antidepressants
(BMG Records)
Vinyl | CD | DL available at Sister Ray
Released 5 September
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Suede are back in full glory with Antidepressants, their tenth album following the great Autofiction which was our album of the year back in 2022 and their best album to date. Does this latest album raise the bar? Wayne AF Carey flicks through their bag of anthems…
Our very own Ged Babey described the NEW Suede in great detail when reviewing the last album and basically I couldn’t describe them better in my own humble opinion. This next chapter is the group going from strength to strength when you can’t see them getting any better. They’re in their own realm at creating beautiful songs that soar and get into your heart like not many groups can.
Brett Anderson speaks: “If Autofiction was our punk record, Antidepressants is our post-punk record. It’s about the tensions of modern life, the paranoia, the anxiety, the neurosis. We are all striving for connection in a disconnected world. This was the feel I wanted the songs to have. The album is called Antidepressants. This is broken music for broken people.”
If you’ve not heard the single Disintegrate yet you’re either deaf or hibernating. It’s a solid piece of work with Brett at his most majestic backed by the veteran sound of Gilbert, Osman, Codling and Oakes. As massive as ever until you get into Dancing With The Europeans which sounds just as mahoosive (Nigel Carr word!). It can only get better can’t it? Antidepressants is a dark gothic number with a foreboding Osman bass line and Anderson combining spoken word with his trademark vocals and meaningful words that hark back to the sound of Teardrop Explodes and even a bit of The Horrors with a great drum beat crashing around with Oakes’ jangling guitars. Sweet Kid is classic Suede that pulls punches with every note. Melodic and moody with a crisp drum sound and a trademark chorus from the masters.
Sound And The Summer is a mellow starter that builds into another huge chorus with shimmering guitars, tribal drums and menacing bass backed with eery keyboards from Codling. Ssshh, it’s magic… Somewhere Between An Atom And A Star is flirting with Bowie throughout, yet that’s not a bad thing. They’ve always had the comparisons from day one and the legend himself will be waving his lighter to this wherever he lies. A piece of floating beauty that matures with every listen. Broken Music For Broken People ramps up that huge sound, tight as a complicated knot and hitting the height of the highest chorus you can only wring out of Anderson and co. Criminal Ways is the obligatory stomping glam belter with a modern twist that cements Suede up their with the songwriting greats. Oakes even plunders a bit of the old Marr sound here (honestly) which he might argue with but I’d know that sound anywhere.
Trance State has a cracking bass line which goes deep and builds into the groove of the rest of the crew. “I hope we’re going somewhere nice. Oh no, I’m in a trance state, in a trance state, I see your face I fade away” to quote Anderson with another chorus that just works. June Rain is a mellow affair that kicks off all Floyd / The Church with shimmering guitars, floating keys and a bass line threatening to burst into life which it does two minutes in. A piece of beauty that builds into a crescendo of quiet noise. “I’m an alien on the opposite side of the road, and you wave to me despite the fact that I’ve let myself go” proclaims Anderson again with his startling lyrics. Life Is Endless ends the whole epic with a dark gothic sound, tribal drums, spooky low bass line, chiming guitars and ethereal keys, with Anderson at his startling best.
It’s a dark and delightful end to a glorious bag of songs that take your breath away. Does it do what Autofiction did? I say so and I guarantee this will be on your playlist for the rest of the year. Another great album by one of the best groups around…
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Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here
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