6/10

For the last decade, Pulled Apart By Horses have easily been one of the most unique and tenacious punk bands in the UK. Their off-beat brand of rapid-fire riffs and explosive breakdowns have served them well over their first three albums, but since the departure of original drummer Lee Vincent in 2015, their first record back with a new line-up sees them branch away from their more familiar sound with mixed results.

While the energy of the band still remains alive and well on tracks like 'Hotel Motivation' and 'The Big What If', the ball-breaking fury of some of their previous records seems largely forgotten on this new album, making way for a sound that is more akin to Queens Of The Stone Age or Foo Fighters than anything else. 'The Haze' seems to show them as more of a conventional rock band, and it just doesn't have the same impact that you would have expected.

While it is clear that the band have looked to adopt a more mainstream approach to their direction on this release, it hasn't really paid off as well as they'd hope. There are still plenty of enjoyable moments on 'The Haze', but there isn't much to write home about.