The Gallagher brothers have pushed indie rock music to the forefront in 2025, as people young and old connect to the new wave of bands coming through including The K’s. Released on LAB Records and produced by Grammy Award winner Jim Lowe – who has worked with bands such as Stereophonics – the Earlestown band recently released their second album Pretty On The Internet, following on from last year’s debut Do You Think The World Knows. Before the release fans were drip fed six tracks – when we saw them at TRNSMT in July we were lucky enough to hear a few, which left us in anticipation to hear the full record.
Pretty On The Internet has such a summertime feel about it, as opener Before I Hit The Floor shows with it’s mixture of hooky indie guitar alongside the vocals of Jamie Boyle. Following on from this, Rat Poison is just screaming to be sang back to the stage. The LP continues with Breakdown In My Bedroom, but it’s the next track that sends shivers down your spine – The Bends (Here We Go Again). The bridge near the end of the standout song is a great addition, adding atmosphere as a delirious phone call is played out.
Helen, Oh I begins with a surprising classical opening, which sets the scene for the most laid back song on the record – this was one of the highlights at TRNSMT. Picking Up The Pieces is another of the early releases, with the bass from Dexter Baker hitting hard. Guitarist Ryan Breslin stands out in just about every song on here, with Me And Your Sister being just one example of this, Lyrically it’s a decent track too as, Boyle sings the chorus “Me and your sister have the same dealer/I met a few of your friends in Ibiza/They came to a show so I went out to meet ‘em”. Boyle’s commanding vocals are all over 33 Heads, Sold It, Own It and Running Away Now, but towards the end of the record Gravestone has every band member making a massive contribution to the song. The backing vocals from Breslin are a good addition, as are the lyrics: “Life a bitch, Life’s a beach/And I’m drowning in the sea.”
Last but not least we have Perfect Haunting which provides a very melodic end to Pretty On The Internet. This one has everything: great vocals, piano and violin leaving us wanting more. There are three more tracks on the deluxe version of the album, all played acoustically, with the tracks in question being Before I Hit The Floor, The Bends (Here We Go Again) and Picking Up The Pieces.
Pretty On The Internet brings maturity from a band on the rise – we think this album has been released at exactly the right time.
9/10
Standout Tracks: The Bends (Here We Go Again), Me And Your Sister, Gravestone
For Fans Of: The Reytons, The Royston Club, The Lathums
Written by: Alan Brown
