I first came across Adult Leisure at the tail end of 2024 when I stumbled on their track Control. Within seconds, I was hooked – the glistening guitars, the emotive vocals and the way they managed to capture both joy and melancholy in a single track. Fast forward less than a year, and the Bristol four-piece have delivered their debut studio album, The Things We Don’t Know Yet, a 10-track collection that cements them as one of the most exciting alt-indie bands in the UK right now.
From the first listen, this is an album that wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s “happy music for sad people” – anthemic enough to fill festival tents but underpinned by an emotional core that sticks with you long after the songs finish. The production, honed during lockdown when the band had the space to experiment, is sharp and adventurous, blending nostalgic 80s-tinged synths with contemporary indie energy. The result is a sound that nods to The 1975 and Blossoms, but with enough leftfield twists to stand firmly on its own.
The Rules is an early standout, immediately grabbing your attention with commanding vocals and driving instrumentation. It feels like a mission statement; bold, confident and impossible to ignore. See Her, one of two tracks featuring The 1975/Sam Fender collaborator John Waugh on saxophone, is pure high-energy joy. With shimmering synths and festival-ready hooks, it’s the kind of song that begs to be shouted back to the band onstage.
In contrast, Boy Grows Old cuts deeper. Released ahead of the album as part of the Boy Grows Old EP, it strips away rose-tinted nostalgia and instead reflects honestly on the difficulties of youth, growth and family. The addition of Waugh’s saxophone gives the track a soulful edge, adding warmth to the sharp emotional weight.
Elsewhere, tracks like Borderline and Kiss Me Like You Miss Her showcase Adult Leisure’s knack for instantly memorable indie-pop hooks, while Dancing Don’t Feel Right leans into bittersweet, dancefloor-ready melancholy. The album’s closer, The River, shifts the mood entirely. A slow, vulnerable ballad that opens with the lyric: “Can you keep a secret, I don’t want to be here anymore without you.” It’s intimate, aching and stripped back, with Neil Scott’s vocals carrying both fragility and quiet power. Ending on this softer, more reflective note feels like a deliberate statement: Adult Leisure are more than just an indie band with bangers – they’re storytellers who are unafraid to embrace contrasts.
The Things We Don’t Know Yet feels like the perfect debut – polished yet raw, nostalgic yet fresh, instantly likeable yet layered with meaning. It’s proof that Adult Leisure are ready to move beyond ‘ones to watch’ and claim their place among the UK’s most vital new bands. For fans of indie with heart, music that makes you dance and feel deeply, this album will stay with you.
