The Tubs albums
2023
Dead Meat - 92%
The question of "can an album be too short?" comes up when I think of this record, because really it is the perfect length for what it is. At a brief 26 minutes and 9 songs, the album has the feel of being long enough. Each song takes something out of you, and then gives you something back. It’s a Vital, kinetic debut record from an up and coming rock group reminding me at once of Richard Thompson at his most distinct and literate, The Feelies at their most passionate, and Sonic Youth at their most accessible but retaining an edge. In all, quite the mixed bag of influences AND they are their own thing!
Each song is so full of surprises: “Illusion Pt. 2” has enough energy to fuel a lead track, but helps with lead guitar work that recalls the best players from the UK in the 1980s; “Wretched Lie” is their version of an epic with some of the most heartfelt lines; “Two Person Love” takes a honest look at relationships with hard hitting but also playful riffs; title track “Dead Meat” is a punchy pop song while still retaining a great sense of melody. They take a lot from indie rock, but the attitude is way more mixed with a snarl that could only come from the best punk rock. “I Don’t Know How it Works” and “Duped” are among the great single ready songs of the year. “Sniveller” is my favorite song, a song that repeats its 4 part structure that combines the best of their influences into something that shows they have control over their sound in a way few other bands of the era reach. I can’t to see where they go from here!
Best Songs: Sniveller, Two Person Love, Wretched Lie
2025
Cotton Crown - 86%
The minty optimism of The Tubs is quite refreshing in 2025, sort of like a long hug after a hard day. Lead Singer Owen Williams has a baritone, Scottish drawl for sure but it’s a comforting one and one that digs deep on songs like “Freak Mode” and “Strange.” The band does not make albums for people with long attentions spans, and each album they have made has been a bit of a brief jaunt almost feeling more like an EP than an album. But in a way I am grateful for shorter albums these days with no filler, fun quick punchy tunes like “Illusion” or patient ones like the effervescent “Narcissist” a song keep coming back to this year over and over. The latter has to be the nicest sounding song about a mean person ever made.
Elsewhere we have the chugging and repetitive “One More Day”, the anthemic “Embarrassment” which sounds like a young proud proclamation, the out of control “Chain Reaction” and “the Thing Is” full of the jangle feel of innocent 1980’s groups like the Feelies or Richard Thompson perhaps on speed. For all of the obvious influence talk, The Tubs just need to be talked about because they feel like a true rarity in the 2020s- a timeless sounding band. There is a lot of originality to the things they say, the way they say them, and they stick to their guns very well. Each record they put out is a minor masterwork of controlled chaos and by the end of the decade I am expecting they will be one of the most respected bands of their time. Not even a cult classic kind of band….just a new kind of classic sound with great songs.
Best Songs: Narcissist, One More Day, Freak Mode