The Biff are back! Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro have returned with their 10th studio album Futique, a wild and beautiful landscape that is unlike anything the trio have done before, yet feels so familiar at the same time.
After a four-year break since their last record, The Myth Of The Happily Ever After, the band had been quiet. Aside from frontman Simon Neil’s side project, Empire State Bastard, which was anything other than quiet. A raucous and vicious, prog-metal behemoth that was a total departure from the Biffy Clyro sound.
So when the band re-emerged at a secret gig at Glasgow’s SWG3 under the name Screwfish, bursting out into their triumphant new single A Little Love, fan excitement reached fever pitch.
Neil has described Futique as “an exploration of ideas, objects or relationships that exist across time.” The theme of which is ever-present throughout this record.
The blistering second single Hunting Season is a ball of energy that features some of Neil’s most aggressive vocals heard on a Biffy Clyro track in quite some time. The track is incredibly fun and the band have said that they can’t wait to let it live on a stage, and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Following onto True Believer, one that starts slow and rather monotone before exploding into a very emotionally charged belter of a track with some classic Biffy instrumentation in the chorus. The band harmonise on the lines, We both noticed, our greatest weakness which is certainly not the last time the harmonies appear on the record, an ode to the phenomenal musicianship on show between these three.
There are some serious and personal moments throughout the record too, Goodbye is a gut-wrenching breakup song, accompanied by strings and some devastating lyrics. With Simon saying Goodbye to everyone and that it was too much but never enough, perhaps a hint that the breakup in question is a hypothetical one of the band, and that they are waving goodbye to that part of their lives.
Woe Is Me, Wow Is You feels like a sister track to Goodbye. A slow burner with backing vocals telling the frontman to stick it out and with him exclaiming that this ship is built to last. The strings on this track feel very reminiscent of 2009’s Only Revolutions and 2020’s A Celebration Of Endings. It feels deliberately linked to the album’s theme, future antiques. Whilst wanting to preserve the past and relive those moments, Biffy Clyro understand the need to live in the present and also grow and evolve to survive as a collective.
Nods to the past are important here, the phenomenal Friendshipping, is sonically similar to 2007’s Puzzle mixed with 2021’s The Myth Of The Happily Ever After, with some classic Biffy Clyro vocals and lyrics. The track is placed in the middle of the two previously mentioned tracks offering a total vibe switch with no time to recover after the heartbreaking Goodbye, Biffy make sure to throw you right back into the deep end.
This album couldn’t be covered without mentioning the 10th track, Dearest Amygdala, a totally different soundscape for the Ayrshire trio. The amygdala is a part of the brain that plays a key role in emotional memory, which links back to the album’s title yet again. This track is an absolute blast, a funky, synthy rock tune with some galloping drums throughout from Ben Johnston. A true standout on Futique with potential to become a modern Biffy classic. Also stick around for the alternate pronunciation of Amygdala.
Biffy Clyro’s Futique feels like a very important record at a very important time for the band, the idea of their past and present merging into one to create this beautiful record feels special, and it feels like we’re all on the journey with them. Biffy Clyro will embark on the Futique UK/EU tour next year, tickets can be purchased here.
Biffy Clyro, Futique, releasing everywhere on Friday, 19th September.