's. A score of three is given to something that is a typical example of its style with nothing too outstanding or bad about it.
It’s been twenty years since The Astronauts last bestowed a full-length album on the world. Based on what I’ve just heard, that was time well spent and well worth waiting for.
Proving, as they always have, that punk is beyond any simple musical categorisation, they’ve continued to create sounds and words that refuse to be pigeonholed yet are, at the same time, unmistakeably punk. Two of the songs clock in at an almost epic 7+ minutes each, without a spare ounce of fat to trim from either.
Mark weaves his poetry through a medley of instruments, from swirling keys to chugging guitars, all wrapped in string flourishes and bass lines that guide you through the journey, and it punctuates the sound perfectly. There’s hope, despair, futility, loss, humour, and an underlying righteous anger that refuses to be dimmed by the passing of time. These are words for contemplation, reflection, laughter, and action.
This release is up there with the best of ’em, and is almost certainly going to be my album of the year.
OP’s opinion 
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