The Wildhearts' '21st Century Love Songs' - Album Review

I have always considered The Wildhearts to be a genuine enigma. With a chaotic history and a sound that is hard to define, the British four-piece really are a band that do things on their own terms - even if sometimes things end in disaster. I had been a casual fan of The Wildhearts for a while, and had picked up a copy of the band's 1993 debut album Earth vs. The Wildhearts a number of years ago, but in 2019 I started to get into the band in a bigger way. This was spearheaded by their excellent set at the 2019 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air, where they were a late addition to the bill - replacing a band that had dropped out. The band's 40 or so minutes on stage really did it for me, and I think that it is fair to say that they went down well with a field of heavy metal fans. The Wildhearts are certainly not a metal band, but they can be heavy when they want to be and there has always been an element of their fanbase that is made up of metalheads. Around the same time I picked up a copy of their 2019 release Renaissance Men, which was their first studio album in 10 years. I got Renaissance Men too late to review here, but I did discuss it in my 2019 round-up (which can be read here). It is an album that, if I had spent more time with it that year, could well have ended up in my Albums of the Year list for 2019. My opinion of it has only grown since then too - and it remains one of my favourite Wildhearts albums despite now owning most of their back catalogue. Lots of us dreamed of a follow up but The Wildhearts are known for being quite a volatile band, who have split up and reformed a number of times over the years - often quite dramatically. The band could be put on ice at any time, so the fanbase were never quite sure if a follow up would materialise. This question was answered last week however, as the band's tenth studio album 21st Century Love Songs was released. Given the 10 year wait between 2009's ¡Chutzpah! and Renaissance Men, a more traditional two year cycle has certainly excited the fanbase. Renaissance Men was well-received for its anthemic qualities and hooky songwriting, but it was difficult to know how the band would follow it up. Like everything that has come before however, 21st Century Love Songs is a real mix of hard rock, pop, and punk. This mix of genres forms the classic Wildhearts' sound, but the new album is a different beast to Renaissance Men. The 2019 release focused on big hooks and choruses, whereas 21st Century Love Songs is more varied, dynamic, and even progressive. It is not as instantly memorable for me, although there are still plenty of hooks to enjoy, but 21st Century Love Songs has a creative streak that shows the band kicking on from Renaissance Men in a big way.

This is an album that packs a lot into its 44 minute runtime. Some of the band's heaviest moments to date are included within, and the amount of strong riffs that are present is impressive. The album opens with its title track, a song which fuses riffy hard rock and a strong punk attitude with ease. As is usual with The Wildhearts, there is little musical showboating throughout the album. The riff is always king with the band, and the way that Ginger and CJ team up for the song's opening - while Ritch Battersby's rolling drum fills back them - is classic Wildhearts. Ginger and CJ have always played off each other perfectly, be it vocally or as guitarists, and 21st Century Love Songs is a great example of this. The mid-paced poppy verses see Ginger and CJ harmonising vocally in their trademark style, while the chorus is an explosion of attitude. The chorus ups the song's pace considerably, and it takes a side swipe into a much punkier direction - with fast-paced riffs and loud gang vocals. The transition feels a little jarring at first, but it all hangs together. The Wildhearts are known for taking such turns during their songs, and it is great to see that that creativity is still very much a big part of Ginger's songwriting. It might not be as anthemic as what came before, but in pure attitude terms the song works really as an album opener. Remember These Days is a bit more hooky, and recalls the sound that the band forged on Renaissance Men somewhat. It feels less heavy than the opening title track, with the band's ability to weave a pop hook around a tough riff evident. The verses steam along nicely, with a slight pop-punk edge shining throughout, while there are occasional moments that see the heaviness drop out to be replaced by chiming clean guitar melodies and Ginger's gentle vocals. These little changes are again a core element of the band's sound, and they help to keep things interesting. Another standout moment in the song for me is the strange psychedelic section towards the end that sees Ginger and CJ playing some off-kilter guitar patterns that do not quite lock together - but it works well due to its weirdness. This leads into a really anthemic closing section that is certainly reminiscent of the band's last album - and the song is one of the album's most immediate cuts as a result. Splitter follows, and it is a great example of the band's punk side. The song is pretty uncompromising, and never really slows down throughout. The verses are driven by punky riffs and gang vocals;  while its chorus is somewhat more poppy and backed by a strong bassline from Danny McCormack. The clash between the hooky chorus and the in-your-face verses works well - and again is classic Wildhearts in style. The song might be my favourite cut here, as it just has a bit of everything that makes the band great - and the hooks are the sort that really lodge into the brain once they have been heard only a handful of times.

Institutional Submission ups the heaviness quite considerably, with the song's opening moments including some of the band's heaviest riffs. Battersby's drumming during the song's intro is almost a blast beat, and there are certainly extreme metal vibes throughout parts of the song. On the whole the song is typical of the The Wildhearts' sound, with punky riffing and Ginger's melodic vocals, but there are moments that veer back into heavier territory - with bursts of black metal-esque riffing that quickly punctuate the song's main bulk. These moments certainly help the song to stand out, as does the much slower, more melodic section that comes towards the end of the song - which even features a guitar solo. Solos are not commonly heard on the band's albums, but the melodies that solo adds here really enhance the song overall in my opinion - and add a moment of relative calm before the punk riffing kicks back in to close the song out. Sleepaway reins in the heaviness quite significantly, and instead goes for a poppier vibe. The song is very hooky as a result, and has a similar overall vibe to Let 'Em Go from Renaissance Men due to its emphasis on strong vocal lines and a much simpler arrangement. There is less in-your-face riffing this time around, although there are still punky sections throughout that feature prominent gang vocals and brief injections of pace. Given its emphasis on hooks, it is no surprise that the band filmed a video for the song. It is certainly one of the easiest songs on the album to digest, and the band have always been good at writing these poppier songs to break up the heaviness. You Do You returns to the band's core heavier sound, with an opening riff that recalls the album's title track. The verses have a strong stop-start vibe to them, with guitars and drum fills weaving in and out of each other to create a great rhythm, while the chorus is filled with hooks. It is a very short song however, so it is over before you know it. It is the band's heavy pop punk side shown off to a tee though, and it contains some of my favourite lyrics on the album - with Ginger's trademark sardonic humour on full display. I had expected Sort Your Fucking Shit Out to be a fast, angry punk song - but it is more melodic than that and it is a mid-paced pop punk track on a whole. This may have been a deliberate bait-and-switch, but the song overall works well despite it not really matching its title. There are moments that are somewhat heavier and faster, but on the whole the song plods along somewhat with a bouncy groove and one of Ginger's more overtly melodic vocal performances.

Directions is heavier, and again harks back to the sound established by the album's title track. The riffing throughout the song is strong, and the verses are often punctuated by little musical interludes. This helps the song to stand out somewhat, as Ginger's punky vocals lines are often broken up by these riffs. In some ways Directions is another representation of everything that constitutes the Wildhearts' core sound. There is heaviness to be found throughout thanks to some weighty riffing and a strong bass presence; a punk attitude that be heard in Ginger's vocal delivery; and plenty of pop hooks to pull everything together. The chorus is very catchy, which again harks back to the Renaissance Men sound somewhat, and it helps to add some light to a song that is otherwise generally full of shade. A Physical Exorcism is somewhat similar, although it is faster and punkier overall. It is a song that is pretty uncompromising throughout, with fast-paced drum beats and plenty of snappy riffs. The verses are pure punk, with gang vocals and Battersby's non-stop drumming, while the choruses do inject some of the band's trademark pop to lighten the mood. Despite this pop injection, the song never really slows down at all - and it is one of the album's most furious cuts as a result. This is the band operating at full tilt, and it is great to hear them still sounding so vital and furious after all these years. The album's final song slows things down after a couple of heavier tracks, and My Head Wants Me Dead is much more overtly melodic. The mid-paced song is not really punky at all, and instead has a much more traditional hard rock sound - with plenty of poppy melodies. Even the gang vocal-led sections during the chorus are more rock than punk, and the song feels less heavy on the whole. This works well however, and it helps the album to end on a different note than much of the album - which allows it to contrast nicely with what has come before. There are still bursts of heaviness however, but these are generally short-lived and act as punctuation rather than as core facet of the song itself. I like the band's more melodic side as it gives the band's hooks a chance to shine in a different way; but the song is not a pure pop track as it has one of the album's most interesting instrumental sections too. Towards the end of the song Ginger and CJ team up for a number of interlocking riffs and guitar leads, which inject a little virtuosity into the piece, before the song ends on a slightly heavier note. While the song itself is not that heavy, ending on the heavier note works well as it helps the album to come full circle. Much of the album is quite heavy however, and it certainly feels more aggressive on the whole than Renaissance Men. There are still plenty of hooks to be found throughout, but for me 21st Century Love Songs is an album that needs to be listened to a few times before it can be fully appreciated. There are a lot of moods throughout that need to be digested, but the songwriting is excellent and everything hangs well together despite the diversity. The album is another strong entry in the band's canon, and it is an album that is only going to improve for me over time.

The album was released on 3rd September 2021 via Graphite Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Sleepaway.