While their post-Troublegum days have seen Therapy?’s commercial fortunes decline, fewer people than justice demands realise it’s at a rate that’s converse to the increase in quality [pushes glasses back up]. When we left them, the Belfast-originated band were in fine form with Never Apologise Never Explain, which churned out ideas and arrangements and colours as often as Captain Beefheart, while remaining coherent as anything the Foo Fighters offer. One Cure Fits All intro ‘Sprung’ picks up right where it left off – but also grabs you by the collar as it comes careering past, Andy Cairns’ viscous riffs fuelling the song with even more momentum. Inspired.
And then? Then the band’s muse must have got drunk and told them to think of a three word title and repeat it ad infinitum. The chorus of ‘Into The Light’ – giant though it is - goes: “Into the light” x 4. After that, there’s ‘Lose It All’ (also repeat four times) and the ‘Die Laughing’ reminscent ‘Dopamine, Seratonin, Adrenaline’ (ditto). Guess what happens during ‘Rain Hits Concrete’?
When they’re not busy ensuring we know what the titles are called – and coming across like a verse-chorus-verse cliché whilst doing so – they go some way in proving why they’re deservedly in existence after 11 albums together. Their sound, free from major commercial constraints, roams freely from the power-pop territory of ‘Walk Through Darkness’ to the much bleaker world of ‘Fear Of God’ (Dragonforce better watch out). Throughout, Andy Cairns’ vocals remain as possessed as ever, Neil Cooper continues the band’s reign of shockingly talented drummers, and bassist Michael McKeegan beefs up the experience to belie their three-piece status.
But any musician, chef, mechanic or architect will tell you that it’s the surface level of a creation that’s the most important. And when it’s not up to scratch, it’s also the most grating.