What could be more wholesome than sitting down to review a brand-new Biffy album with a cuppa and a Tunnock’s choccy mallow? Nope, didn’t think you’d have an answer. So, here we are, finally with something fantastically fresh from the Kilmarnock heavyweights.

Two of the singles Biffy Clyro have released in the build-up to this new record (‘Hunting Season’ and ‘True Believer’) are on my favourites list for 2025. And that speaks volumes about what they’ve done here on ‘Futique’. It’s their whopping tenth studio record now, and it explores fleeting moments that turn into memories — and vice versa — via the most melodic, yet powerful, 11 tracks. 

They’re an exciting band that’s cultivated an iconic rock sound and burgeoning, though unwavering, fanbase of graduated emos and part-time moshers over decades. You know, for people who’ve aged but their fine taste in sound hasn’t? I consider myself in that camp. So we’ve got ourselves a winner again from these fellas — and some of that classic, the-more-you-listen-the-more-you-find material.

Beyond the songs they’d already dropped, ‘Shot One’ is a gentler, softer piece that feels a little different. Yet, it still has that yearning, drawn-out Biffy chorus that serves *anthem*. But then, ‘Goodbye’ — all strums as it opens — is very traditionally them, too. A tender, stripped-back ballad, with a raw sadness running through its sombre veins. 

There are some bolder beats, though — take ‘Friendshipping’, for instance. The lyrics are still wistful, but it’s set to a treadmill-smashing pace that’s ripe for a gym playlist. The quippy-titled ‘Woe Is Me, Wow Is You’ brings even more new energy and a slightly fresh twist on the upbeat, romping Biffy soundtrack we’re so acclimatised to. It really builds up as well; not what you’re led to expect initially either. It’s transcendent, with a proper film score vibe, reinforcing again that they can “[defy] the impossible”. 

Following a somewhat similar style, ‘It’s Chemical!’ emits a sprinkling of almost mechanical electronics. At this point, you can imagine everyone screaming the high notes at a festival — it’s that kind of belter. And it evidences, through the dreamy pop-rock, the notion of the digital age swooping in and interfering with our recognition of key events and our surroundings. The ethereal piano tinkles before the slow strums of ‘A Thousand And One’ takes this up a notch, too. All the while, you can faintly detect intermittent birdsong in the background. Another very genteel offering from the group. 

Despite me being really keen on ‘Hunting Season’ in particular, the stabbing drums that open ‘Dearest Amygdala’? They’re something else. And again, that poppy tempo creeps in. So much so, this is another real contender for a fave. Synthy and playful, it’s that modern Biffy that begs to be rinsed on repeat. Who would even want to argue with that? 

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘Hunting Season’ or ‘Dearest Amygdala’