Teenage Fanclub - 'Endless Arcade'

7/10

When Teenage Fanclub returned earlier this year to announce the details of a new studio album, we were all feeling a sense of pensive optimism about it. While the group have remained consistently brilliant over the last three decades, it sometimes feels that they may begin to show their age very soon and fail to live up to the glorious heights of their heyday. But after a stream of impressive and well-received preview singles since then, they deliver their eleventh studio album 'Endless Arcade', a record that shows they are far from dimming down the creativity just yet.

From the very start, 'Endless Arcade' has this wonderfully woozy aesthetic throughout it. Each track has been designed to wash over you without leaving too much of a lasting impact, almost as if their aim here is not to blow you away but simply coax you into their world through subtle melodies and sweeping production. What Teenage Fanclub have always been able to do is give off this aura of impulsive spontaneity within their work, as if their songs have almost been created on the fly, resulting in this very easygoing sound that feels more like an impromptu jam session than a finished album.

But while it has this extremely laid-back style, 'Endless Arcade' rarely falters from its initial direction and shows that these guys are still more than equipped to knock it out of the park after thirty years on the scene. While we wouldn't hold a bad record against them at this point, it is incredible to hear that they are still very much on top of their game throughout.

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