Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing. Seduced by memories of a time when their music was made purely for the hell of it, these Leeds indiescene veterans attempt to recreate that spirit here – or, as they put it, “to go with our guts and fuck everyone else”.
It’s a noble intention, no doubt, but one that ultimately fails to pay off. The album’s not without its highlights – The Big What If is a snarling slice of Stoogesinspired post-grunge, while Prince Of Meats trades in the sort of dirgy alt.rock that would make QOTSA proud – but in getting back to basics, The Haze is too diluted by its manifold influences to make much impact. The riffs and ideas are there, but without the power and grit required to make them convincing.
Scratch the surface and nothing really shines. This nod to the past feels more like regression than a return to former glories.
