This album has been a long time coming. And the wait has been worth every minute. Exploding onto the North London Windmill pub scene a few years ago, alongside fellow contemporaries Shame, Black Midi and Goat Girl to name a few, Sorry have spent the last few years trickling out banger after banger. Originally playing under the moniker ‘Fish’ until they realised that ex-lead singer of Marillion Derek Dick also went under the same name. Sorry quickly gained a loyal and loving following after they took the ’21st Century band sound’ and made it their own. With fusions of rock, indie, grunge, hip-hop, jazz, electronic and almost every other corner of the musical spectrum, their sound has been in constant flux. But one constant remained; the quality.
This album could be considered a greatest hits, as it brings together not only the prior released singles but also cuts that go as far back as the ‘Home Demo/ns’ mixtapes released in 2017. Although some of these songs have been around for a while, and will be recognised by many fans, they feel as fresh as ever. Opener ‘Right Round The Clock’, the first official single released from the album, is a heavy hitting, crunchy indie pop-rock narrative of the everyday 9 – 5 grind (see thats where they got the album title from, clever), something that many of us now stuck at home, desperately crave. Every instrument feels big and emotive and the catchy chorus is a marvel of their songwriting calibre.
Fan favourite ‘Starstruck’ and gets a slight spruce up with added effects textures and richer production that brings out their full potential. The glitchy vocals and ominous guitar riff culminate in a chorus that depicts the unease of the crowded party where every face is unknown and unwelcoming.
The pop song turned indie turned grunge turned Sorry is one of the bands specialties. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ and ‘Rosie’ have that big chorus and catchy melody of any top 10 hit, but infused with their signature alternative sound of distorted guitars and saxophone solos. “You’re pure silver, 925, honey I’d do anything just to feel alive”.
Where this album truly shines from a songwriting standpoint are the gentle croons of the songs ‘Snakes’ and ‘As The Sun Sets’. Featuring careful layers of samples, emotive lyrics and a reference to Louis Armstrong’s ‘What A Wonderful World’. Dropping the heavier sound of their past, this side of Sorry is newly embraced by the band but offers a platform to showcase their creative depth and capacity to embrace an ever changing sound.
Encapsulating the mind of the 21st century student, the track ‘More’ screams out its message in a series of blunt chorus’. “I want drugs and drugs and drugs and drugs”, “I wan’t it all, don’t give me too much”. The heavy beats of a racing heart and frantic riffs of a mind on edge show why Sorry are the new voice of a generation, that needs these escapes to forget the stress of modern life.
Being one of the oldest songs on the album ‘Ode To Boy’ had the challenge of getting translated from its raw form on the demo tapes to a full blown banger. Thanks to the help of co-producer James Dring (Gorillaz, Jamie T, Nilüfer Yanya) this transition was seamless. With carefully layered walls of sound, glistening synths and a big choir finale this track is rich with emotion; the modern lovers love song.
Closer ‘Lies’ is a re-fixed version of the previously released grunge heavy single, now adapted to add more scaled up sonic exploration. It still keeps the heavy hitting sound and intense riffs but adds more flavour in terms of production and keeps in with the flow of eerie sound samples and effects found throughout the album. The maturity and understanding of the music they want to create has come a long way, yet still keeps that spark of brilliance that gained them notoriety in the ever washed out indie world.
They may have broken their streak of just being a singles band and entered the big world of the album, but Sorry have proven that no matter what the task, they will always slap. Hard. They really are the perfect modern day band, and have soundtracked a youth that can often be pushed aside when trying to change the status quo. Well that’s exactly what this album does.
realtastymusic.wordpress.com 
Leave a comment