Album Review: Basement - I Wish I Could Stay Here

Luckily for me, reviews for records like 'I Wish I Could Stay Here' pretty much write themselves. Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed EP, 'Songs About the Weather', the band’s debut LP is half an hour of pure brilliance. Encompassing an alluring spectrum of post-hardcore, pop-punk and emo, 'Basement' sound a million miles from their Ipswich origins.

Take for example the superb, 'Earl Grey'. It lures you in as a slow building ballad then after a minute turns around and kicks you in the face, ups the tempo and blasts into driving punk made for a live show. Then there’s the beautifully crafted instrumental 'Ellipses' at the record’s midway point. 'Every Single Word', 'Yoke' and 'Crickets Throw Their Voice' meander slightly further along the pop-punk route than some of the other songs on the album, and inject a bit of energy. It’s just so hard to pin point a single track for individual praise when they’re all so flawless.

The Norwich five-some have recently been snapped up by Run for Cover Records. If ever there’s a record perfect for vinyl then 'I Wish I Could Stay Here' is one of them, I’m sure this sounds a treat. If you’re a fan of quintessentially 90's emo such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Penfold and Planes Mistaken For Stars, do yourself a favour and get this record. If you’re a fan of bands like Polar Bear Club and Bayside, do yourself a favour and get this record. Hell, if you’re a fan of music do yourself a favour and get this record - you seriously really won’t regret it.

5/5

'I Wish I Could Stay Here' by Basement is available now on Run For Cover Records.

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Words by Chantelle 'Kiki' Goodchild