“Millennials” – The Snuts
Top Picks: “Millionaires,” “Butterside Down,” “Wunderkind“
Similar Artists: Inhaler, Sam Fender, Louis Tomlinson
Following a whirlwind summer opening for Louis Tomlinson‘s Faith in The Future tour, the Scottish indie band The Snuts have released their third studio album Millennials. Leading up to this release, the band has been categorized as an indie rock group. This categorization was in part due to their aggressive track names, such as “Burn The Empire” and “Don’t Forget It (Punk),” but more aptly, it was given for their funky guitar riffs, dirty bass effects, and raspy vocals. The band had a niche and they stuck to it.
Interestingly, Millenials seems to be a departure from this indie rock sound. From aesthetics, such as the rainbow on the cover art, to sonic qualities, like the echoing choruses, this album is not the rock we’re used to hearing (and seeing). Instead of anti-establishment songs and instrumental rock solos, this album features raw lyrics discussing love and the realities of mental health wrapped in a bow of indie pop music.
The album opens with the lead single “Gloria.” Released in June of 2023, this track has been around for quite a while. It feels like a good introduction to the album. “Gloria” certainly leans more toward pop, but it is still reminiscent of the albums that precede it. The song highlights a forward-set guitar and raspy vocals, but it also employs the pop-like echoing chorus and driving high hats. It’s a track that ultimately feels like The Snuts, but it points toward the development of something new.
The second track of the project, “Millionaires,” dives deeper into the pop sound with atmospheric backing vocals and building pre-choruses. The song also highlights another running theme in the project—a sickly sweet love story. Among other things, Millenials is, undoubtedly, a love album. Lyrics like “If love were money, we’d be millionaires” prove it. As only one of many saccharine declarations throughout the album, this track leads us further into this genre shift of a project.
While keeping the same sonic qualities of the previous tracks, “Yoyo” and “NPC” take a massive thematic turn. Instead of heartful odes of love, these tracks speak of the realities of mental health, medication, and searching for fulfillment. With lyrics like “How many milligrams in my hand to be happy,” these songs are anything but joyful. Yet, they still employ the upbeat, pop nature of the tracks before them. It’s an interesting contradiction to behold.
The album continues with tracks that are almost too cohesive. They fit the sonic mold of the project so well that it’s hard to distinguish one from the next. The tracks speak to childhood dreams before returning to the love declarations we began with. However, “Wunderkind” is a bit of respite from this repetition. Without a chorus full of reverb, the simple, vocal-heavy track jars the listener back into paying attention. It’s the perfect jolt of change to keep the album from feeling like one big, indistinguishable song.
With five out of ten tracks released as singles before the album’s release, it was clear that the band was taking a turn in their sound for this third album. There is certainly a lack of grungy guitar solos that fans have come to associate with The Snuts, and many may resent this diversion in sound. But, the band is clearly wanting to try something new, and they are certainly successful in their endeavor. While Millenials is not the indie-rock album many were expecting, it’s a fun, upbeat indie-pop project that I can already imagine playing on repeat this summer.
See The Snuts on their Millenials tour now. Get tickets here!