Los Campesinos! Deliver Their Definitive Statement on ‘All Hell’

Los Campesinos! burst onto the scene with high-energy songs, snarky lyrics, and formidable knowledge of punk and indie rock that informed early calling cards like “You! Me! Dancing!” and “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives”. Many were charmed by the Wales-based ensemble, but others found them too precious and labeled them twee. They responded by releasing a single called “The International Tweexcore Underground”, but threw down an incendiary cover of Black Flag‘s “Police Story” for the B-side. From there, they leaned harder into the twee label with the next pair of full-lengths, Hold on Now Youngster, and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, released in quick succession in 2008. Their willingness to playfully troll scenesters by claiming not to care about icons like Henry Rollins, Ian Mackaye, and Calvin Johnson was balanced by their reverence for DIY culture (We are Beautiful, We are Doomed came with a zine).

Los Campesinos! never took themselves too seriously on the early releases, detailing youthful heartbreak in unsparing, frequently hilarious detail. But things got darker, deeper, and messier, starting with Romance Is Boring. The arrangements incorporate anything from hardcore to synthesizers, and tracks like “A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State” and “Straight in at 101” pointed the way forward from here: apply that exuberance to the joys and pains of life across the decades. Across the following several records, the band grew up without growing stale, steadily serving their devoted cult audience an excellent record every few years.

In this era of Los Campesinos!, lead singer Gareth Paisey (All Hell is the first time the group are credited with their surnames; previously, they all used “Campesino”) calls them “The UK’s first and only emo band”, and it fits more than it doesn’t, with 2010s highlights like “What Death Leaves Behind” and “Sad Suppers”. But what else were they to do? Songs about vomiting after eating too many crisps or asking for “more post-coital and less post-rock” are funny, but sooner or later, life starts dragging us along whether we like it or not. However, the trademark humor lingers on highlights like “Songs About Your Girlfriend” and “By Your Hand”.  

That brings us to All Hell, which arrives after a lengthy break. Fittingly, Los Campesinos! have a lot on their minds. The album announcement on their Substack promised “drinking for fun and drinking for misery, adult acne, adult friendship, late-stage capitalism, love and sex, night terrors, daydreaming, Orpheus, climate apocalypse, and football”, among other topics. “Holy Smoke (2005)” provides All Hell’s thesis: “Nowadays it’s Live Laugh Love and listen to Death from Above”. It feels a little like a scene report from the guy with the graying beard at the back of the club, unsure of where he fits here anymore but unable to give up the music because he really doesn’t know where else to go since music is how he makes sense of the world. Some nights, the magic of youth is recaptured for a moment; other nights, he’s staring at the bottom of a glass, looking for answers.

Closing in on two decades of catchy indie with cringe-inducing, hilarious, heartrending lyrics, Los Campesinos have delivered the finest record of their distinguished career. Across 15 tracks, this collection of songs hangs together beautifully and delivers all the poppy anthems and downtrodden, wistful ballads that are the collective’s trademark. Untethered from expectations and working fully independently, the self-financed, self-recorded, self-funded song cycle is endlessly replayable, showing some signs of maturity and growth without sacrificing any of the lyrical wit and heartbreak while showcasing how the band has continued to mature and sharpen its musical prowess.

“The Coin-Op Guillotine” opens the record on a somber note, confronting the swirl of malaise that is the state of the world and the pileup of memories and disappointments that come with adulthood. As the song builds, the huge production swells, and it is instantly apparent that Los Campesinos! need no outside support because they have accounted for every detail and every choice. Lead guitarist Tom Bromley’s production has just the right amount of polish. “Holy Smoke (2005)” and “Clown Blood; or Orpheus’ Bobbing Head” are classic Los Campesinos! bangers, bursting with energy and punchlines. “A Psychic Wound” and “Feast of Tongues” help the group retain their emo bona fides, blending loud and quiet moments to memorable effect. These songs are somehow even stickier than their previous earworms. Kim Paisey takes over lead vocals for the darkly funny “kms”, one of the quieter moments, and it is another highlight. 

It would be easy (and lazy) to say this is more of the same from Los Campesinos! when it’s a convergence of their best songwriting and production. That All Hell is another high-quality release is not the least bit surprising; it’s their best record and likely one of the finest of the year, which is a welcome surprise. There is no question it will captivate longtime fans, but is it too late for a veteran emo band from Wales to break through to a broader audience? If All Hell doesn’t do it, imagining what it would take isn’t easy.