It feels an absolute age since Scottish rock gods Biffy Clyro last released new music, with nothing since 2021’s album ‘The Myth of the Happily Ever After’. At long last, happily, the drought is broken and the trio are back with the release of their new track, “A Little Love”.
Debuted at a secret gig in Glasgow late last month, it’s instantly recognisable as a Biffy track. It opens almost immediately with a hefty dose of Ben Johnston’s epic drums, quickly moving into their trademark kick-in-the-face sound. Simon Neil, arguably one of the best lyricists around, kicks the vocals off with “I can’t divorce you, you put me through hell, what the spirit wants, the spirit gets…oh well”, and that sets the tone for the lyrical juxtaposition of the rest of the song.
Although a standalone track, it reminds me very much of “The Captain”, from their 2007 album, “Only Revolutions”. It will be interesting, subjective as reviews are, to see if others have the same interpretation.
It’s about 15 years or so since I first encountered Biffy Clyro, as a support band, no less. The memory of that first experience still sticks firmly in my mind – the wall of sound, the physical reactions to the constant changes in tempo which made it feel more like a fairground ride than a concert, and the harmonies…oh, the harmonies…and this song immediately transports me back to that night. It’s hard to explain the visceral reaction that I have always found accompanying Biffy’s music, maybe it’s the syncopation and the sensation that you’re liable to be changing direction at any given moment, or maybe it’s the intangible quality in Neil’s vocals that makes you feel like you’re on a journey somewhere, or maybe it’s the dynamic twin-based rhythm section of the Johnston brothers. It’s probably all of those things, and this song is another one to add to the playlist for high-rotation. Hopefully this is a taste of a not-too-distant album, with – all fingers crossed – a tour that includes Australia.
In the words of Simon Neil, “this ain’t Utopia, but it’s better than Hell”. Yes, it is. So much better. Mon the Biff.
“A Little Love” from Biffy Clyro is out now
Photo Credit: Eva Pentel
