Every time Basement disappear, their profile somehow grows. Eight years on from 2018’s ‘Beside Myself’, the Ipswich post-hardcore quintet return with ‘WIRED’, a record that’s both a return to old pastures, thanks to its arrival on their original label Run For Cover, and a serious recalibration.
After a sour major label experience, a pandemic-era pause, and genuine questions over whether the band should continue at all, album five arrives less as a comeback than a reaffirmation, establishing exactly who Basement are in 2026.
Produced by weirdo pop auteur John Congleton, ‘WIRED’ is Basement at their most deliberate and fully realised.
Its 12 tracks retain the weight and melodic immediacy that made them a cornerstone of the 2010s emo-adjacent alt-rock wave, but there’s a looseness here too, the sound of five friends rediscovering not only what they can do together, but precisely why they wanted to do it in the first place.
Opening track Time Waster is a fitting entry point, all fuzzed-out urgency and hooks galore, before the title track surges forward on needling guitars and one of Andrew Fisher’s most instantly striking vocal performances.
It’s in its dynamic breadth that the album thrives, though. The Way I Feel is an anthemic burst of energy, capturing the anxious, adrenaline-fuelled moment before a life-changing decision, while Head Alight strips things back into something more spacious and abstract. Elsewhere, the likes of Deadweight, Sever, and Satisfy refine the record’s heavier edges, the latter a solid contender for rock song of the summer.
There are moments where ‘WIRED’ feels built almost entirely on instinct, and that undoubtedly works in its favour. A band expertly versed at making music that sounds raw without being careless, it’s the most cohesive Basement have ever sounded and, perhaps more importantly, it’s clear they’re having a whole load of fun with it.
Basement Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed May 13 2026 - BRISTOL Fleece
Thu May 14 2026 - KINGSTON Fighting Cocks
Sun June 28 2026 - MANCHESTER BEC ARENA
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