The Lovely Basement - Lazy Travellers (2024)

Vibrant and accomplished third album from the Bristol-based indie-pop quartet.

The arresting cover artwork on Lazy Travellers, the third album released by The Lovely Basement and their first for Catalonian label No Aloha, is worth pondering for a moment. if the image of a rather bleak shore-line with an industrial backdrop conjures thoughts of the many run-down coastal areas around the UK, it also brings to mind the languid melancholy of Dean Wareham’s post Galaxie 500 group Luna, a commonality which is also reflected in The Bristol band’s songs. Lazy Travellers is characterised by a push-and-pull between British and American aesthetics, combining terse post-punk indie with strong Americana influences, Two Kinds of Stupid in particular having a distinct Hank Williams flavour.

The resulting mix of art-rock and roots styles is not dissimilar to Paisley Underground veterans The Dream Syndicate, or the classy post-Velvets pop of The Go-Betweens. Singer/guitarist Katie Scaife’s distinctive vocals provide a strong focal point as she confidently leads the group through the various twists and turns of this ten-track album.

Bracing album opener What I like is spiky and political, referencing the Tolpuddle Martyrs, Tony Benn and the battle of Cable Street, and is a fine example of the co-writing of Scaife and guitarist/singer Kevin Bache, the song-writing partnership at the heart of The Lovely Basement, the line-up being completed by Steve Dew and Paul Waterworth.

The high quality of song-writing is maintained throughout the album, with other highlights including the super-catchy Wait a Minute and the humorous story-song Mysterious Ways.

Buried towards the end of the album, Gasómetro is a lovely Spanish-language song that introduces a dash of Stereolab to the mix, but wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dean and Britta album, while the comfortingly woozy album closer Lee Raymond Knew takes aim at one of the key energy industry figures involved in promulgating climate change denial. The combination of listener-friendly melody and acerbic political lyrics is strikingly reminiscent of the great ‘lost’ neo-Marxist indie group McCarthy, whose singer Malcolm Eden’s Bertolt Brecht-influenced lyrical approach was carried forward by former members Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier into their ’90s-defining group, Stereolab.

Despite the myriad musical influences contributing to The Lonely Basement’s songwriting, the Bristol four-piece have succeeded in carving out their own distinctive, fully-developed sound, with sharp, purposeful lyrics that reward repeated listens. These allegedly lazy travellers have finally arrived.