The Tubs' 'Hard Life' Is an Exhilarating Masterpiece of Jangle and Spite
The Tubs have made the jump to Merge, and Hard Life — their third album — is the sound of a band taking that as permission rather than pressure. Owen Williams says as much: “I was more confident, after how the last two had gone, to try expanding the sound a bit, expanding the range of emotions both sonically and lyrically.” The expansion is real, and the jangle survived it. Seven reviews in, it’s averaging 85, with Mojo at a full 100 and Uncut at 90.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Max Warren’s bass and Taylor Stewart’s drums are mixed tight and mid-forward rather than deep, which is the correct jangle-pop decision — it leaves the bottom of the spectrum free so Dan Lucas’s guitars can ring without anything muddying the chime. The Spatial Dynamics: The record’s real architecture is vocal. Williams sings two distinct personas that, as the band puts it, “argue, pester one another, merge into each other, and break apart,” with Lan McArdle’s vocals and Rachel Kenedy’s keys widening the frame and Chris Haigh’s fiddle cutting diagonally across it. Slant heard songs that “sink in quickly and stand up to repeat listens,” which is what happens when the hooks are immediate and the argument underneath them isn’t.
Standout Performance
Williams, for writing a record he describes as partly “a bit of a hatchet job on the Owen of the last record” and making self-demolition sound like a party.
Why It’s Certified
“Now and Then” — Williams calls it “Northern Soul, Royal Headache influenced pop” — is the obvious entry point, but “Heaven or London,” “Do Yourself a Favor” and the closing “As Long as You Leave” are where the range shows. Slant put it best: this is a band “for whom being pissed off is almost synonymous with exhilaration.” Certified great.