THE ORIELLES - Only You Left

Fifth album from the Manchester psych-pop band, yet another solid effort that shifts the axis further toward math-rock soundscapes.

A less experimental, more structured project, “Only You Left” sways between hazy, slightly rough-edged folk ballads, like “Whenever (I May Not Feel So Close)”, and restless crescendos of guitar riffs left hanging in suspense, awaiting an epic tangle of strings torn apart with blood, sweat and tears (“Shadow Of You Appears”).

The Orielles haven't entirely shed their DIY rock band credentials, but there's a clear desire to push toward more elaborate forms without abandoning their raw psychedelic influences. An evolution that's particularly evident in the vigorous, intricate rock of "Tears One". That The Orielles are trying to redraw their artistic path is clear from the very first notes of "Three Halves", the track that opens the album with a swarm of ideas and mood shifts skilfully strung together.

Obstacles and divergences aren't lacking, though: alongside noteworthy flashes of inspiration, like the sprightly bass groove of the daring "Embers" and the naive/jazz psychedelia of "Tiny Beads Reflecting Light", there are tracks where instrumental prowess ("All In Metal") or a creative incipit, "The Woodland Has Returned", stand out more.

The two seemingly less striking tracks on the album – "Whenever" and "Wasp" – are in turn set between a gorgeous, unsettling psychedelic folk with corrosive nuance ("You Are Eating A Part Of Yourself") and an intense avant-rock digression that sounds like it could come from a Julia Holter album ("To Undo The World Itself"). Further signs of an expressive vitality that deserves attention.

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18/03/2026