Biffy Clyro: Futique

After 30 years together, Biffy Clyro has released their 10th studio album, ‘Futique’. The title, consisting of the words Future and Antique, captures the essence of the record well. A mix of old, well-beloved sound and newer influences gives you an insight on what the future might look like for the Scottish musicians. 

Having caught their powerful main-stage performance at Rock am Ring this year — and hearing consistent praise from a friend who’s been a longtime fan — I was eager to see how Simon Neil, along with James and Ben Johnston, would continue their journey. As a band that dabbles in a myriad of rock genres and has since included some poppy tracks as well, fans were probably wondering if this album would be a hard-hitter or a bit more mellow, or worst comes to worst a cash-grab regurgitating their old sound in place of trying their hand at something new.

The first track ‘A Little Love’ is immediately a stadium filler, building up to something imposing without losing the emotional honesty and down to earth feeling that Biffy Clyro has managed to bring across in their long years of songwriting. It’s fresh and catchy, a poppier entry point that launches the album into the grungier ‘Hunting Season’. If the first song didn’t pull you in, the second almost certainly will. Its outro, driven by a heavy bassline, makes a clear statement: this is Biffy Clyro at their most authentic. And that, ultimately, is what this track — and the whole album — is about.

In ‘Shot One’, a much slower, almost ballad-like song (the kind you'd hold your phone up to light up the crowd), Neil sings:

“If this is love then I forget what it is;
because it’s always touch and go to be something beautiful”.

There’s a lot to unpack around the theme of faith in this album — not the religious kind, but a faith to stay true to yourself, a faith in love, a faith in the band itself. But perhaps it's best to let Biffy Clyro speak for themselves. ‘True Believer’, a track that could easily soundtrack the climax of a movie, picks up the emotional thread that ties the album together:

“We are frequencies fighting our way through the darkness,” Neil sings,
“Only love has it.”

While still about love, ‘Goodbye’ is a song that is there to hurt you. Anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health can tell that this is, at its heart, a song to say farewell, so long. It’s honest, extremely personal and emotional. It’s a goodbye to a great love, something that can resonate with most of the listeners who have experienced intense romantic or platonic relationships and the hardships that come with them. ‘Friendshipping’ kicks up the sound again, continuing into ‘Woe Is Me, Wow Is You’, showing that Biffy Clyro can stun equally with slowed down tear-jerkers and their recognizable gritty guitar sound. Where in older works their songs seemed more raw, this album builds on a great atmospheric sound and a continued emphasis on who Biffy Clyro as a trio and musicians are. 

If ‘Goodbye’ is the song for the moment just before the end, ‘A Thousand and One’ is what follows: a reflection on life after love. Who are you after the loss of a great love? How have you been?

“I always knew when I was wrong but I never said sorry,” Neil sings, reflecting on their shared past.
before evolving the lyric in the second half of the song to:
“And I should’ve said sorry.”
It’s a moment of sad acceptance, but also growth.
“This is how we grow,” he concludes.

The track ‘Two People in Love’ is a fulfilling end to this journey. The jingling piano sound overset by the resonating guitar work and rhythmic drumming really works to bring both their pop and rock influences together. It ties in all the different ways love can make you feel in an outro that seems more like an emotional release. 

With ‘Futique’, the band isn’t chasing commercial hits. While the album is, on the whole, softer than its predecessor, it radiates a quiet confidence — one that welcomes new listeners without alienating longtime fans. In any case, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear ‘Hunting Season’ become a staple of their future big-stage performances.