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Comeback kids

delirium last seen when it was released in 1995. Suede will release an album in September and Supergrass is touring this summer to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut album. The only band missing is Oasis’s arch-enemies Blur, but it had already sold out Wembley Stadium in July 2023. Cool Britannia What is behind the resurgence? “Everyone likes an anniversary, don’t they?” said Glenn Fosbraey, who is a popular music academic at Winchester University. In particular, 1995 was “a great year for music” with the release of Oasis album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, said the 42-year-old lecturer, who grew up with Britpop. “It is a nice opportunity to relive our own youth and secondly to introduce this to the next generation,” as he is doing with his teenage daughter. In recent years, he has noticed students rank Oasis among their favourite bands. Fosbraey admitted he was more a fan of Blur during the notorious 1995 Britpop chart war with Oasis, and will not be going to see the Manchester rockers, although has been to see Pulp. He noted a broader nostalgia for the second half of the 1990s, a period known in the UK as “Cool Britannia”, marked by a cultural, artistic and political revival. In 1996, England reached the semi-finals of the Euro football championships on home soil and Labour’s Tony Blair came to power on latest release? A fast, furious death/ thrash amalgam that wears its 80s influences on its sleeve. And, why not since the band members themselves were right in the centre of that formative metal maelstrom in Tampa, Florida. The Southern American state has long been considered a hotbed of death metal activity, if not being the birthplace of this very noisy subgenre. Being at the heart of an active and thriving scene certainly helps, the enthusiasm pouring forth from this album is evident as the tracks are tight, concise and built for maximum effect. The half-hour running time keeps proceeding lean and mean with none of the 10 tracks overstaying their welcome. The riffs are razor sharp and are designed purely to give those neck muscles are good workout. Longhairs everywhere will have a gala time engaging in some fine dandruff removal sessions listening to this record. Tracks such as Chaos Engine and Obscurer chug along with an efficiency that showcase the band members collective expertise in the genre. Layering each tune with enough groove to make things fun, Mind Trap works best when played at neighbour-bothering volumes. As an album to stream, yes, it is most definitely worth the time and

RELEASED on June 27, Mind Trap is Inhuman Condition’s third full-length release. Formed 2020, Inhuman Condition consists of Jeramie Kling (Overkill, ex-Venom Inc, ex-Massacre), Taylor Nordberg (Deicide, Umbilicus, ex-Massacre), and Terry Butler (Obituary, ex Death/Six Feet Under/Massacre). So yes, this is a supergroup of sorts with members having quite the stellar CV though not being the main men in previous bands per se. So, what can fans expect on its W ITH “Britpop” bands Oasis and Pulp topping the charts and filling concert halls, a 90s vibe is floating over the UK this summer amid nostalgia for a “cooler” time when people seemed “happier”. A trip to high street retailer Marks and Spencer, popular with older shoppers, feels like stepping back 30 years, with Oasis T-shirts flying off the shelves. But they are also on sale at Urban Outfitter, a retailer favoured by teens and young adults. One crop top reads “Oasis, Live Forever”, a tribute to one of the band’s most famous songs. On Instagram and TikTok, young people are filming themselves styled like the band’s brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. The band’s reunion, 16 years after the brothers’ messy split, has generated huge enthusiasm across the generation gap. Tickets for the UK and Ireland tour, which kicked off yesterday in Cardiff, were snapped up at the end of last August – and Liam and Noel are not the only ones making a comeback. Pulp recently returned to the top of the charts for the first time in 27 years with its new album More . At the band’s concerts, the first notes of most famous hit Common People are greeted with the kind of o Oasis ride Britpop revival as 90s make nostalgic return in UK ALBUM REVIEW Ű BY R.BALA

Oasis members Liam (right) and Noel performing on stage. – AFPPIC

don’t have the very amusing, honest responses,” added Hannam. University of Birmingham marketing professor Julie Whiteman was 20 in 1995 and was never a fan of Oasis. She said it was “hard to escape” the 90s revival, but there was little nostalgia on her part. “It was a pretty misogynistic, pretty intolerant time. It was quite an unpleasant time for a lot of people, if you were a woman or if you were an ethnic minority or if you were not heterosexual. It was not so straightforward, as in just like a really cool time,” she said. – AFP

intelligence, he added. The music industry economics professor has noticed a return of 90s fashion among his students for several years now, with a return of baggy jeans and bucket hats, a staple of Liam’s wardrobe at the height of his fame. Several of Hannam’s students will be going to the Oasis concert. Both young and old appreciate that “Noel and Liam Gallagher were much more honest in interviews”, he said. “They would say offensive things. There are lots of music stars who are quite media trained and maybe you

a wave of positivity a year later. Britpop’s infectious optimism sound-tracked it all. “Everyone seemed to be happier,” recalled Fosbraey. Baggy jeans The nostalgia for the 1990s does not just affect those in their forties, but also Gen Z, young people born between 1997 and 2012, added James Hannam, who is from Solent University in Southampton. They perceive those times as “less stressful” than the ones they face, weighed down by concerns about climate change, war and artificial

Ideal conditions for headbanging

Inhuman Condition hails from Tampa, Florida, which is widely considered the birthplace of death metal.

effort. Great groove, pro chops and crunching good production values make Mind Trap an imminently worthwhile listen. However, it is quite another investing hard-earned cash on a tangible version as the compact

disc is retailing upwards of RM70 while the LP is double that. A purchase is perhaps for hardcore fans of this particular outfit, looking to have a complete discography. Mind Trap is released via the

Listenable Insanity imprint and is available on all major streaming platforms. The vinyl edition pressing is limited to 300 while just 100 copies of the cassette tape version will be rolled out.

Third album Mind Trap is released via the Listenable Insanity label. – PICS FROM INSTAGRAM @INHUMAN CONDITION