The Irish four-piece continue the build-up to their anticipated debut album of the same name with this anthemic indie-pop banger, a reworking of the rougher version they released in 2019, which has proved popular with fans since.
However, the indie-pop sensibility of this version resonates beyond its soaring chorus to a deeply personal level.
One of the hardest things about being a ‘mature student’ during the past year is watching my friends, who are of student age but not yet come of it, realise who they are. It should be a fulfilling sight and it often is, but to discover yourself truly during a pandemic is a disadvantage I can only share as I share an album I like but do not own. ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ resonates with me for this very reason, but I believe its appeal is universal enough to appeal to the innocent, not just the condemned.
It has a groovy bass, driving synths, and an anthemic quality to rival an indie-pop banger at any Student Halls gaff, but it captures something that one should hesitate to label without hindsight lending its careful, considered eye – it captures the moment.
The eighties electro-pop tint that could come straight from the ‘It’s A Sin’ soundtrack could be, at worst, labeled inoffensive. But it is more than just pleasant; it is escapism through unorthodox channels. Those of a free spirit argue that we should live in the moment, what is gone is gone. The band allows us to seize what we have now by fantasising our way out of it. ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ is the embrace during a downpour at a festival, it’s a quiet moment at a party when everything is right, it’s the connection on a blind date and a smile from a passing bus window.
The lyrics are a desperate plea for attention, ‘I’m just a bad old beggar with nothing to do’ frontman Elijah Hewson bemoans in the opening verse. The whole song, though on the surface, is told from the perspective of a guy who knows that the girl is slipping away, but it hits deeper than that.
The lyrics capture the realisation of one’s faults, but also one’s benefits – and resonate hardest for those who have during the pandemic – ‘You say that you’re not around/And you don’t wanna be found/Well, I wanna be the best at what I do/What about you?’ sum up these discoveries people are making in what is already the hardest time of their lives, in the harshest environment in years.
Inhaler are a band going strength to strength and are going to be indie favourites for the foreseeable future with their anticipated debut album due in July. Their latest release not only cements this but also provides a much-needed reminder that times will change. It’s in the title.
Tom Pritchard
@themaninthehallofghosts
Image: It Won’t Always Be Like This Official Artwork
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