ALBUM REVIEW: Ash – Race The Night (Fierce Panda)
Irish trio Ash have been peddling their infectious brand of punk-tinged indie-rock for more than 30 years now, and Race The Night is their eighth studio album.
It’s their first since 2018’s slightly underwhelming Islands, which I thought found them scrambling around a bit, unsure which direction they wanted to head in, with the exception of the wonderful Buzzkill single.
The good news is that Ash are back with a bang, as this is their best collection of songs since 2004’s excellent Meltdown album – yes, it’s that good.
Tim Wheeler (guitar/vocals), Mark Hamilton (bass) and Rick McMurray (drums) say Race The Night was inspired by getting back in a room together after two years apart during the pandemic.
Wheeler has always had the knack of penning songs packed with catchy melodies, and the band showed on Meltdown that they can rock out a bit too.
Here, they show both facets of their appeal; title track Race The Night, about chance encounters and grasping opportunities with both hands, is a classic Ash single, opening the album in upbeat fashion, and setting the tone for what follows.
Usual Places, another single, also displays all the melodic sensibilities that the band are known for. Uplifting yet melancholic at the same time, Wheeler wrote it towards the end of his time living in New York, reflecting on how many familiar hangouts and people had gone.
It’s a banger, certainly a candidate for standout track on the album, as is the excellent Braindead – whose urgent punk rock riffs demand to be listened to – while Peanut Brain is another melodic masterpiece, full of slashing guitar and a great bassline.
Hard rocking
Over & Out, and the two-part Like A God, with its Led Zep feel, rock just as hard as anything on Meltdown, but on the flip side Ash have been known to try their hand at the odd heart-tugging ballad too.
Here, the huge, widescreen-sounding Oslo – a real grower, which sees Wheeler duet with Dutch singer Démira – ticks that box too.
Crashed Out Wasted is a dreamy ode to the sort of hazy night which you never want to end, before going full-on Queen as Wheeler channels his inner Brian May and reminds us, as if we’d forgotten, what a fine guitarist he is.
If you know your Ash, Race The Night sounds like a pick ‘n’ mix grab bag of the best of Free All Angels and Meltdown, which for me are their best albums (yes, even better than 1977). 8.5/10.
*Ash are doing a co-headline UK tour with The Subways, starting on 30 September. On this form it’s one not to be missed. Tickets are available HERE.
