Album Review: Inhaler, Cuts & Bruises

Paraphrasing Saul Bellow on Philip Roth, unlike most bands who come howling into the world, blind and bare, Inhaler arrive as the hippest gang in town – with an impressive combination of swagger, mighty tunes and boss live shows. Behind the curtain, it took just about ten years to achieve overnight success, which could be declared when their debut album went No. 1 in Ireland and the UK.

Audaciously, the follow-up Cuts & Bruises has the potential to dwarf even that lofty achievement. Across eleven ear-worms, Inhaler conjure visions of delirious revellers howling their catchy choruses in festival fields across Europe and beyond. By the end of the year they could be huge.

Sam Fender baptised them as alternative pop, a nifty handle for a band that can double-date Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles. Indeed, ‘The Things I Do’ is a finely fused alloy of the Sheffield masters and the Redditch wonderkid. Also excelling on production duties is polymath Antony Genn, a man who boasts a fantastically diverse CV.

Lead single ‘These Are The Days’ grooves like a Kings Of Leon anthem; ‘Dublin In Ecstasy’, a song that predates even their first album, has echoes of Springsteen; and there’s a fine Mike Scott feel to standout number ‘If You’re Gonna Break My Heart’.

This is no mere emulation or homage: by assimilating the work of other artists, Inhaler have successfully transcended their influences and forged their own identity. Watch them soar.

8/10

The new dual cover edition of Hot Press – featuring Inhaler – is out now: