Album Review: English Teacher, This Could Be Texas

Leeds prog-punk export English Teacher set a high bar with their first EP, 2022’s Polyawkward. On their debut album, This Could Be Texas, like an emerging young athlete on the rise, they deftly clear it.

‘Albatross’ opens the album with a gust that just about knocks you off your feet, with Lewis Whiting’s blistering riffs and bandleader Lily Fontaine’s swan-diving vocals.

Throughout the record, English Teacher switch between tender and relentless, often to stunning effect. Drummer Douglas Frost is perhaps the band’s secret weapon, his irresistible rhythms propelling the likes of ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ and ‘Broken Biscuits’.

‘Mastermind Specialism’ – a mesmerising mix of orchestral flourishes, frenetic keys and coiled guitars – is another highlight. Virtually every track has something to recommend it, with English Teacher drawing from a lush palette of indie, prog and punk.

Overall, This Could Be Texas is a wonderfully accomplished debut from a hugely promising act.

8/10