Aptly, The Amazons have been a 21st-century musical fixation for me. I’ve followed them from the beginning, and look how cultivated and refined they are now, on their fourth studio album…

With its spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing, ethereal yet eerie intro, it could only be ‘Living A Lie’ as the opener. Bold, otherworldly and haunting — as though written for a Dune film soundtrack — what was the first single from the pre-‘21st Century Fiction’ campaign was the most fitting to kick off proceedings. It was also when the scene was first set for female vocal accompaniment throughout, from none other than Ella McRobb. 

On the tracklisting, it’s followed by the bombastic banger, ‘Night After Night’, which has been firmly on rotation since it dropped. Then, things start shaking up; ‘(Panic)’ is a very Queen-esque interlude before the country-style ‘Pitch Black’ — a seriously catchy tune that’s been out for such time, it reminds me of what a big, hyped, build-up job these troops have done. And these play-reminiscent intermissions are enjoyably different for a Zons record; like unlocked cheat codes to hook us even further. 

I’d spied a lot of comments from fans on Instagram about how sick ‘Wake Me Up’ is. Crudely put, but it made me even more eager to hear it. I’m always that person who gets really excited by the premise (and hope) that artists have snuck their absolute best new tune in without having released it as a single previously. It’s just better that way, isn’t it? That’s what they’ve done here, and it’s rocky, frenzied, pacy and, again, a belter more intrinsically accurate of their OG blueprint. I can’t wait to let loose at that at a show! Wildly raucous. Does it get more delicious? 

Well, possibly… When ‘Joe Bought A Gun’ smartly moves in for the kill, softly and gently. The kind of slower rock these guys have delivered in latter years. But then, woah! They still have all their firepower in their locker, it seems. Partway through, it builds into this ferocious behemoth of a face-melting rock ballad. Riffs crunchier than your favourite Kellogg’s cereal, the song showcases dynamism amid insanely heavy anarchy. 

Although the position of favourite had been filled by then, the fun and funky ‘The Heat! pt.2’ was an extra treat. That’s not forgetting also how ‘Heaven Now’ has all the dreamy hallmarks of a bop from ‘HWIKIHWFM?’ (from back in 2022). Another glimmer of how much they’ve accomplished.

The epic, crescendo finale that combusts into a swirling ball of electro-infused anthemic rock is ‘Go All The Way’. Sporting lyrics inspired directly by a Charles Bukowski quote, it cements that they succeeded with their mission and then some: to really push it to the max. The outcome? An utterly polished collection to their credit. Welcome back, gents — the stage is yours. 

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘Joe Bought A Gun’