The Libertines – All Quiet On The Eastern Esplenade
Release Date: April 5th 2024
FFO: Arctic Monkeys / Jamie T / The Last Shadow Puppets
It’s crazy to think that it has been 9 whole years since we’ve been gifted new music by The Libertines and yet here they are with their new album All Quiet On The Eastern Esplenade. The recording process saw the quartet of unlikely lads venturing their rather international abodes of France, Denmark, Margate and London to “solder a strongest-ever internal bond, and scale new creative heights resulting in the best music of their extraordinary career so far.”
Each track really provides a new moment for you to get stuck into; often finding parallels to your other favourite artists whether deliberately or not. For example, the opener ‘Run Run Run’ could be likened to a slowed down early Jamie T tune with an overall upbeat vibe that would work fantastically on the festival-sized stages the band are used to. The next track is ‘Mustang’ with its generous use of everyone’s favourite marmite instrument; the cowbell. It’s a fun laidback tune that features some flight-hearted falsetto backing vocals that are a rarity for the group. Continuing to draw parallels, ‘Man with the Melody’ seems to take a page out of the Arctic Monkeys’ playbook with its gloomy style that screams character.
‘Merry Old England’ perhaps has drawn inspiration from The Doors with a catchy vocal hook accompanied over piano. This track is recorded in a purposefully loose fashion with all the guitar buzz left in which makes it truly feel like you’re in the room. Not only that but the group’s trademark sound is bolstered by a bongo and string accompaniment that perhaps hints at the world instruments brought to the country over the years by people trying to “get to merry old England”.
It’s easy to imagine the four-piece strolling through the Wild West in later tracks such as ‘Night of the Hunter’ with its thematic intro guitar heading then into ‘Baron’s Claw’ plodding baseline and accompaniment that features a more jazz-inspired brass section that’ll have you swinging along. ‘Shiver’ continues to take this style and process it into more Stone Roses territory. The record is somehow simultaneously well-polished but with all the authentic human elements of the process kept in such as the intro to ‘Oh Shit’ they’ve made the decision to leave the in-room click bleed in the intro.
All Quiet On The Eastern Esplenade is upbeat and in-keeping with The Libertines’ feel-good vibe that always goes down well whichever stage you find them on whilst providing the deep and meaningful REAL LIFE lyrical content that fans know and love. The production style is both clear and spacey; not too dissimilar to a Sticky Fingers record (‘Land of Pleasure’ comes to mind). Come to think of it vocally too with The Libs of course being the originals with their well-established sound.
With the release of a high calibre album such as this, you may be concerned what is next for the group but in the words of co-frontman Peter Doherty: “We’re over the moon, and the ball is in the back of the net… and I’m chuffed for the lads!” He adds, more seriously, “I feel like we’ve completed a cycle of some kind as a band, and finally now we can add these songs to the set list, because we’ve got some bangers in there. Now we’ve opened the hotel and used the studio ourselves and it’s all worked out – more Libertines records? I should hope so!”
Recommended Track: ‘Run Run Run’ – This tune somehow manages to be both fresh AND familiar for The Libertines and if you’re a fan of their back catalogue, it’s sure to make an appearance on your summer playlist. A true singalong punk rock anthem for the masses.
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