Broadside – Nowhere, At Last
Release Date: 10th April 2026
Label: Thriller Records
Virginia-hailing, pop-rock band Broadside dropped their fifth studio album this month, and to say they went big is an understatement. With each track being a contender for a single and a pulse that runs through all thirty-seven minutes of it, it becomes its own entity. It’s organic, alive and poetic, with a common lyrical theme is about life itself.
‘Cherry Red Ego Death’ is the first track to bless our ears and has such a strong current that you get sucked into it. Detailing the process that is stripping yourself back to your most vulnerable and authentic self, whilst reflecting on everything happening around you. With lyrics like “the world is only perfect if I keep my eyes closed” ringing so true in today’s landscape. This turmoil continues into the title track, ‘Nowhere, At Last’. Offering life as an overview with the pursuit of simplicity and peace. Throw in some larger-than-life ’80s-style synths with some melodies straight out of the 2010s, and you’ve found a track to dance that pesky existential dread away to.
With the majority of this album playing host to these feelings, it can be tricky not to seem repetitive, but Broadside have found more than two sides to this coin. Take ‘Dead Roses’ for example, which is more abruptly introspective than the first few tracks on the album. Facing internal battles and the jarring process of moving out of your youth. With its gravity-defying, goosebump-inducing bridge that raises the question “can I make it through this night?”, it gives us a more poignant peek behind the mask.
Whilst some of this introspectiveness continues, elsewhere ‘Warning Signs’ and ‘Control Freak’ have an additional contributing factor, an external persona. Both songs are laced with a danceable beat, but with either the added in fun that goes along with getting wrapped up in someone, or the less fun side of being controlled by them. Still, the end of the world looms, and with a millennial sense of humour, we are greeted by ‘Mushroom Cloud’ as our additional party rides shotgun.
As ‘Someone You Need’ and ‘I Think They Know’ each offer a thumping beat and earworm choruses, they both tackle the topic of overthinking. ‘Someone You Need’s nylon sting opener and vocally defeated intro prepare you for the rawness of not feeling good enough, as ‘I Think They Know’ has a steadier drive to its overthinking. Pair that with the panned whispering in the bridge, and it’s like vocalist Oliver Baxxter is playing the role of the devil on your shoulder.
With the end of Nowhere, At Last drawing near, we are met with ‘Is This It?’ which, not only is a question many of us may have asked ourselves as we reached adulthood, but has a layer of hopelessness to it. It’s a harrowing but beautiful end to the album of life. And despite the impossibility felt throughout most of the song, the end is about holding on and fighting for what’s left, no matter how small. A heartfelt message that may bring a tear to your eye whilst filling you with a warmth that this rollercoaster of a life is worth it in the end.
Rating: 9/10
Recommended Song: Dead Roses
FFO: The Maine, Honey Revenge, Sleeping With Sirens (>2015)
We also caught up with Oliver from Broadside to chat about their album, check it out HERE!