8/10

There’s an electricity to 'When U Were Mine' that you can’t manufacture, no matter how much studio time or digital gloss you throw at it. This is the sound of instinct winning, moments caught before they’ve had time to settle, and music that feels like a shared secret passed between friends who hit “record” because they couldn’t not.

At the heart of it all is Ratfink!, a project that thrives on closeness rather than control. The songs arrive slightly off-balance, as if they’re still finding their footing while you’re listening, and that sense of motion is exactly what makes them hit so hard. Guitars blur and jolt, hooks drift in sideways, and vocals bounce back and forth with the easy chemistry of people who know each other well enough to interrupt mid-sentence.

What’s striking is how direct the emotional core is, even when everything around it feels delightfully unruly. These tracks speak plainly about connection, self-questioning, loyalty, and that quiet panic that creeps in when relationships start shifting shape. There’s humour here too, but it never dulls the honesty. If anything, it sharpens it.

The pacing across the record is one of its greatest strengths. Just when you think you’ve settled into a fuzzy rush of lo-fi pop momentum, the floor drops away into something more fragile and reflective. And it's that contrast that gives the album its natural ebb and flow, mirroring the emotional swings of growing up alongside other people.

But what 'When U Were Mine' absolutely refuses to do is posture. There’s no attempt to sound monumental or definitive. Instead, it captures a very specific slice of time and lets it exist exactly as it is, rough edges and all.

By the time it ends, you feel like you’ve been somewhere. And that’s a rare thing. 'When U Were Mine' aims for truth, and in doing so, Ratfink! have made something that leaves a lasting impression far longer than anything polished ever could.