Badges is the second album since The Loft reunited with the bands original line up of Dave Morgan, Pete Astor, Andy Strickland and Bill Prince, less explosive than the first time around, when they split up mid gig at the Hammersmith Palais. This time around they have settled those differences and are enjoying being back together again, the first 500 copies of Badges come with a bonus flexi disc.
The album opens with the jangle pop urgency of Happenstance leaving us in no doubt what a good idea it was for the Original line-up of The Loft to get back together and make new music, no matter how achingly familiar this might sound, almost like a Weather Prophets song with a slight Jazz Butcher twist or two.
Sad Comedian twists the bands favourite guru into something less metallic, with the tale of the Sad Comedian whose life is falling apart, while figuring out how his family screwed him, up enough to become a Stewart Lee style comedian in the first place, he's not as twisted as Mingus' Clown thankfully.
Campervan is for all the joys of owning one and possibly using it as a tour bus, anything to allow Pete and the boys to escape whenever they need it, this has feelings of wistful hope of better more interesting times.
1955 is looking back to when the bands parents would have been having a good time dreaming of becoming parents, this has rose coloured memories of his parents getting together on a dance floor, like the one at the Hammersmith Palais no matter what Hollywood stars they refer too.
Beautiful Problem takes an almost marching beat for this tale of sorrow and pain, it hurts every time you walk in the room, how can he share air space with you without going all soppy over you, how can he deal with these feelings.
Ex-Lovers And Long Lost Brothers seen once again on the Charing Cross Road, can you leave your enmity aside, or is there still a price to pay from the rat a tat guitar line, confessions of bad behaviour and all the things driving them apart, can it also solve the issues and bring them back together once more, this asks some good questions.
Goodbye Saturday Night has them out on a Saturday night in Leicester Square, as uncool a weekend spot as it comes, they take someone back to Camden Road and all sorts of adventures happen, that they fondly recall, the lovers and the times they spent together on a Saturday Night.
C'mon Let's Hear It For The Now has them popping pills and listening to algorithmic music, the opposite of the organic indie they specialize in, while the gentle jangly guitar line makes them claim they are all about being in the moment. With the sweet guitars and supple vocals making the now seem better than it currently seems to be.
Junk Shop may well be where fans go these days to find old The Loft 7" singles, but it's nothing like this Junk Shop they love hanging out in, figuring out the history of all the objects on sale, all the ephemera of a life well led, always revealing secrets anew of the Junk Shop of your heart.
The album closes Rob Rides The Sunset taking them up to Hampstead Heath for adventures at sunset, that for some would be all about the cruise, this laid-back song makes it feel far more cool and collected than hiding in the bushes.
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