7/10

Over the years, Seattle's Tacocat have always found pride and inspiration in their hometown. As the birthplace of grunge and a bolstering liberal powerhouse, the group have looked to reflect their own personal experiences of life in America to a global audience, leading to three impactful and thought-provoking studio albums. But with this now Trump's America, the band have a whole lot more to say as they return with their fourth full-length 'This Mess Is A Place', a record that manages to find the glimmer of hope in the state of their union.

With this being their first release through their new home on Sub Pop, the energy and enthusiasm behind this release is palpable from the very start. With opener 'Hologram' giving us a straight-cut insight into how this album will play out, we are then treated to a flurry of high-energy jams that look to find that happy middle-ground between hard political commentary and uplifting pop-punk belters. And for the most part, 'This Mess Is A Place' succeeds in creating a joyful and engaging collection of ideas that manages to pay homage to their catalogue to date, as well as try its hand at something a little less conventional.

The winds may have changed in politics since they first emerged nearly a decade ago, but that hasn't stopped them from straying against their core sound and message. 'This Mess Is A Place' keeps its head above water throughout, and delivers a strong and confident return from a band that rarely puts a foot wrong.