mclusky are back. Properly this time. After twenty years away from the studio, the Cardiff noise-punk legends have returned with The World is Still Here and So Are We—an album that’s as loud, weird, and wilfully brilliant as anything they’ve ever done.
If you’re new to the band, here’s the quick version: mclusky were a furious, funny, and feral three-piece who carved out a cult following in the early 2000s before imploding in 2005. They left behind three albums, a pile of unforgettable live shows, and a reputation for being both razor-sharp and completely unhinged. Since then, they’ve played the odd reunion gig, raised money for threatened venues, and slowly reassembled themselves into a fully-functioning band again.
Now in 2025, with drummer Jack Egglestone and frontman Andy Falkous joined by vocalist/bassist Damien Sayell, they’ve found their groove once more. And The World is Still Here and So Are We doesn’t waste a second proving it.
Right from the opening track, Unpopular Parts of a Pig, they come out swinging—tight, frantic, and gloriously loud. It’s followed by Cops and Coppers, a track built on wild-eyed vocals, buzzsaw guitars and a level of controlled chaos that only mclusky can pull off without sounding like they’re trying too hard.
The addition of Sayell on vocals for tracks like The Battle of Anglesea and Juan Party System brings fresh energy to the mix. He’s not doing a Falco impression—he’s doing Sayell: massive voice, no nonsense, and clearly loving every second of being in a band he once idolised. That energy crackles across the album.
Elsewhere, Kafka Esque Novelist Frank Kafka is pure mclusky madness—spiky, strange and catchy in all the wrong ways. The Digger You Deep and Chekov’s Gun lean into the band’s classic sound, all grit and bile and big riffs. Then there’s Not All Steeplejacks, a slower, more spacious track that lets you breathe before the unhinged finale of Hate the Polis, a brilliantly bizarre closer that makes absolutely no concessions to anyone’s expectations.
Lyrically, it’s as mclusky as it gets. Some songs are about… something. Others are probably inside jokes. But every line feels sharp, deliberate, and delivered with the kind of conviction that makes even the weirdest phrases hit hard.
The World is Still Here and So Are We isn’t a comeback. It’s a continuation. A loud, snarling reminder that some bands don’t need to reinvent themselves—they just need to plug in, turn up, and be exactly who they are. For fans, it’s everything you could’ve hoped for. For newcomers, it’s a thrillingly strange introduction to one of the UK’s most uniquely brilliant bands