8/10

Over the past half decade, Manchester’s Meena have been quietly crafting a universe where the haze of shoegaze melts into the pulse of electronica and the shadowy sway of trip-hop. With three acclaimed EPs under their belt, the band's music has always felt like a place of hushed vocals, swirling textures, and rhythms that blur the line between stillness and movement. Now with their debut full-length 'Different Now', they’ve widened the doorway into that world, bringing a heightened sense of scale without losing the intimacy that’s defined them since their first release in 2020.

While the record holds fast to the gauzy atmosphere they’ve built their name on, it reaches for new shapes, where moments of luminous clarity breaking through the fog and flashes of rhythmic urgency that keep us alert and engaged. Working alongside producer Ben H Allen (Animal Collective, Soccer Mommy, Deerhunter) and mastering engineer Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios, Meena have given these tracks a richness and depth that rewards deep listening.

From the crisp snap-and-sway opener 'Doreen', with its blend of jangling strings and synthetic glimmer, to the moody throb of 'Wait', where echo-laden guitars wail against the gravity of a pulsing beat, the record’s pacing feels both deliberate and fluid. 'Wonder' rolls in with a cinematic wash of percussion and haze, while 'Somebody' grows from a whispered confession into a soaring, smoke-filled anthem.

The title-track shines with layered harmonies and twinkling guitar, like sunlight breaking across a rainy city street, while 'Carte d’or' builds a hypnotic tapestry from stacked instrumental tones and fluttering percussion. 'Even Say' leans into their psych-adjacent side, fuzzed-out and free-flowing, before closer 'Peter' drifts between dreamlike calm and percussive drive, offering a parting moment that feels both grounded and airborne.

With 'Different Now', Meena have delivered a debut that consolidates and expands their identity. This is a full-length that invites you to get lost, but keeps surprising you with the paths it opens along the way.