| Sonics in the Soul | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 September 2022 | |||
| Studio | Studio 7, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:29 | |||
| Label | Cherry Red | |||
| Producer |
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| Buzzcocks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sonics in the Soul | ||||
Sonics in the Soul is the tenth studio album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks, [6] released on 23 September 2022 by Cherry Red Records. [7] It is their first studio album since 2014's The Way and their first album without founding member Pete Shelley, who died in 2018. [8]
After the death of founding member Pete Shelley in December 2018, Buzzcocks released the single "Gotta Get Better" in February 2020 with guitarist Steve Diggle taking on sole songwriting and lead vocalist duties. [9] [10] The Senses Out of Control EP, featuring the tracks "Senses Out of Control", "Carnival of Illusion" and "Hope Heaven Loves You", was released in April 2022, with only the title track making Sonics in the Soul. [11] [12]
Largely written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021, [13] the album was recorded at co-producer Laurence Loveless' Studio 7 in London. [14]
"Manchester Rain" was released as the album's second single on 2 September, three weeks before the release of the album. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [15] |
| Classic Rock | [6] |
| God Is in the TV | 8/10 [2] |
| IPA Music | 8/10 [16] |
| ThePunkSite.com | [17] |
| Uncut | [8] |
Sonics in the Soul received mostly positive reviews upon release. Uncut noted the absence of Pete Shelley's "unique vocal", which they felt is irreplaceable, writing that Diggle has written songs "which sit comfortably within his range, and if there are moments when you find yourself wistfully imagining Shelley singing them, that's testament to their quality." They concluded that "Diggle has brought an unexpectedly emotional, often beautifully elegiac quality that makes Sonics in the Soul relevant and relatable." [8]
AllMusic wrote that Sonics in the Soul "doesn't really sound like a Buzzcocks LP, at least not as we've known them. The songs are short and hooky and played with strength and a certain degree of speed, which suits the group's pedigree, but without Shelley's very distinctive melodies and lyrics that split the difference between wit and anxiety, this sounds like a Steve Diggle album ... That said, if it seems like a Steve Diggle album rather than the Buzzcocks, it's a very good Steve Diggle album." [15]
Power Pop News felt the album contains "undeniably hooky choruses" with "all the energy of the band in it's[ sic ] heyday despite the slightly more polished sound." [3] Classic Rock called it "a riot from start to finish," saying the band sounded "rebooted and reinvigorated." [6]
Louder Than War was less positive, writing, "By any standards, it's not a great album. It sounds like a Manchester guitar band going thru the motions. ... The tunes are 'OK' at best and the playing pretty pedestrian for pacey pop/rock ... this is now a one-songwriter band rather than having two – and that is why it's a weak(er) album." [18]
All tracks are written by Steve Diggle
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Senses Out of Control" | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Manchester Rain" | 2:38 |
| 3. | "You've Changed Everything Now" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Bad Dreams" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Nothingless World" | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Don't Mess with My Brain" | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Just Got to Let It Go" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Everything Is Wrong" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Experimental Farm" | 3:50 |
| 10. | "Can Your Hear Tomorrow" | 4:13 |
| 11. | "Venus Eyes" | 4:22 |
Adapted from the album liner notes. [19]
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Bolton in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece".
Pete Shelley was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 when Devoto left. The group released their biggest hit "Ever Fallen in Love " in 1978. The band broke up in 1981 and reformed at the end of the decade. Shelley also had a solo career; his song "Homosapien" charted in Australasia and Canada in 1981 and 1982.
Another Music in a Different Kitchen is the first studio album by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in March 1978 by the United Artists record label. This was the third line-up of Buzzcocks, with the guitarist Pete Shelley singing following the departure of the original vocalist Howard Devoto and then the firing of the bass guitarist Garth Smith. The album includes the single "I Don't Mind", which reached number 55 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1978.
Singles Going Steady is a compilation album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks, first released on I.R.S. Records in the United States on 25 September 1979.
Flat-Pack Philosophy is the eighth studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. It was released on 7 March 2006 by record label Cooking Vinyl.
All Set is the fifth studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. After standardising their line-up of vocalists and guitarists Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle, bassist Tony Barber, and drummer Phil Barker for the band's previous album Trade Test Transmissions (1993), the band's first record since their reunion in 1989, the band toured relentlessly which inspired the band–especially Shelley–to create a new album. Hiring longtime punk rock producer Neill King to produce and engineer All Set, the band recorded in Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California, a studio where then-huge pop punk bands like Green Day, to whom Buzzcocks had been a big influence, had recently recorded music engineered by King.
Modern is the sixth studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. After the critical success of the band's previous album All Set (1996), the band became disillusioned with trying to be a rock band and set out to become more "modern," thus birthing the project. Recording the album in Chipping Barnet with the band's bassist Tony Barber producing, Modern sees a strong electronic music influence, with electronic instruments and drum machines featuring on the songs, especially those written by Steve Diggle, who wrote five of the album's songs whilst Pete Shelley wrote the other eight songs.
Stephen E Diggle is an English musician best known as a guitarist and later lead vocalist in the punk band Buzzcocks.
Buzzcocks is the seventh studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. It was released on 18 March 2003 by record label Merge in the US and Cherry Red in the UK.
Love Bites is the second studio album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released on 22 September 1978, through United Artists Records.
A Different Kind of Tension is the third studio album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in September 1979 by record label United Artists.
Trade Test Transmissions is the fourth studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. It was released on 2 June 1993 by record label Castle Communications on their sub-label Essential Records and was the band's first release in fourteen years, following up 1979's A Different Kind of Tension. The music was quite different from their earlier material with nods to the power pop scene popular at the time.
Operators Manual: Buzzcocks Best is a compilation album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in 1991 by I.R.S. Records.
"Orgasm Addict" is a song by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was the A-side of the Buzzcocks' first single, with "What Ever Happened To?" as the B-side, which was released on 4 November 1977 by record label United Artists.
Flag of Convenience were a rock group formed in 1982 by former Buzzcocks members Steve Diggle and John Maher, along with bassist Dave Farrow and keyboard player Dave "D.P." Prescott. Through their first two line-ups they were managed by the writer and music critic Michael Gray, shortly after his personal management of Gerry Rafferty. Hence the band's first single was produced by Rafferty's co-producer Hugh Murphy. The band continued with changing line-ups until 1989, with later incarnations releasing records under the names F.O.C. and Buzzcocks F.O.C. The final incarnation of the band included former member of the Stone Roses Andy Couzens and former Inspiral Carpets drummer Chris Goodwin, who both went on to form the High. The band ended when Diggle joined Pete Shelley in a re-formed Buzzcocks, the reunion prompted by controversy over the use of "Buzzcocks" in the billing of Diggle's band.
John Maher is a British musician who was part of the punk and new wave scenes in Manchester, England, most notably as the drummer with Buzzcocks.
"I Don't Mind" is the third single by punk rock band Buzzcocks, released in 1978. It charted at number 55 in the UK Singles Chart. Backed with "Autonomy", both songs appear on the Buzzcocks' debut album, Another Music in a Different Kitchen.
"Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a 1978 song written by Pete Shelley and performed by his group Buzzcocks. It was a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart and was included on the album Love Bites.
The Way is the ninth studio album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks, released digitally on 1 May 2014 via PledgeMusic for pledgers only. It was released by 1-2-3-4 Go! Records as a digital download on 6 October with a physical release on 18 November. It is the first Buzzcocks album with bassist Chris Remmington and drummer Danny Farrant, and the final album to feature Pete Shelley before his death in 2018.
Sell You Everything 1991–2014 is an eight-CD box set by English rock band Buzzcocks, released on 29 May 2020 by Cherry Red Records. It compiles the band's post-reformation years, containing all their studio albums: Trade Test Transmissions (1993), All Set (1996), Modern (1999), Buzzcocks (2003), Flat-Pack Philosophy (2006), and The Way (2014). It also includes A Different Compilation (2011) – featuring re-recorded interpretations of classic Buzzcocks songs – and the entire 1991 Demo Album, home recordings from guitarist Steve Diggle's archive, demos, and rare B-sides and promotional only tracks.
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