Demob Happy – ‘The Grown-Ups Are Talking’ album review: A delightful mix of explosive noise and contemplative bliss
Whenever you listen to Demob Happy, it’s always difficult to figure out what time or spatial atmosphere it’s sending you into. That blistering rock and fuzzy psychedelic mix is exactly what makes The Grown-Ups Are Talking a swirl of explosive moments and more contemplative, ethereal bliss.
The Skinny: Recorded at Rancho De La Luna studio in Joshua Tree, Demob Happy’s fourth album marks their most confident work yet, a place where all aspects of the human experience can come together and thrive in all their confrontational and contradictory glory.
This is clear from the outset, with opener ‘Power Games’ leaving no room for idle listening, led by the loud, distorted guitar work with groovy, rock ‘n’ roll rhythms. Played in the right speakers, it feels like the walls are shaking, which is probably what they were going for – something that seeps into your bones before you even know what it’s about.
This bleeds into the next track, ‘No Man Left Behind’. It’s easy to see why they chose this as a single – it doesn’t just hold all familiar tropes of Demob’s rock sound, it also tackles a darker subject, reflected in the way it plays out with a driving beat undercut by an air of melancholy and a sense of foreboding.
But this record doesn’t hinge solely on doom and gloom. In fact, it’s one that also takes a quality of aloofness, or artistic liberation, tapping into the simple joys of good ol’ rock music without compromising on substance. ‘Who Should I Say Is Calling?’ is one of the highlights, anchoring the entire album and giving this new chapter context – specifically, that they’re entertaining a good equilibrium between earnestness and fun.
As frontman Matthew Marcantonio explained about the track: “It’s a conversation between me and myself; all the parts I sought to destroy – the roguish energy I thought was doing me no good. But it argued back, saying you need a bit of that to write rock and roll – so it’s an ode to both.”
Of course, the song also includes the album title as a song lyric, which naturally calls attention to its importance as a cornerstone of the entire piece. It gives credence to the slower, more contemplative moments, like ‘Something’s Gotta Give’, which adds a distinctively grunge flavour to the record, encouraging you to pause and recognise the more mellow notes in the broader Demob Happy party.
All of this makes ‘Give It All To Me’ the perfect closer. Another sluggish display of grunge-esque rock, these reflective moments give the more commanding moments more weight, proving that often it’s the more hefty topics and messages that make everything else worthwhile. And sometimes, it’s where it all swirls together that adds the best overall flavour.
The Verdict: It’s easy to read countless influences across the entirety of The Grown-Ups Are Talking. In fact, the songs almost invite comparisons openly, but that’s where everything becomes infinitesimally better – because once you let it take you on its own journey, you realise how much Demob Happy have established their own sound, rooted in all those familiar favourites.
Standout track: ‘Who Should I Say Is Calling?’
Release date: January 30th, 2026 | Producer: Matthew Marcantonio | Label: Milk Parlour Records
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