Basement - Wired CD

"Wired" is a radical reboot for Basement. It marks the British band's first album in eight years, a reunion with their original label, Run For Cover Records, and a return to the unbridled passion and creative intuition that has always defined their best material. Since forming in 2009, Basement has consisted of the same five friends—vocalist Andrew Fisher, guitarists Alex Henery and Ronan Crix, bassist Duncan Stewart, and drummer James Fisher—and the same alchemical bond. The only thing that has changed over the past few years is their renewed sense of purpose, and it shows on their new album. "Wired" is the most dynamic, bold, and inspired work Basement have ever created, while still retaining the timeless foundations of their unique sound: growling guitars, catchy choruses, and hauntingly emotional lyrics. Basement are back and firing on all cylinders, but they have no interest in simply rehashing past successes. The entire band was determined that "Wired" had to be their clearest artistic statement to date. The title track is the most urgent piece of their career—a sure live favorite, driven by piercing guitars, a powerful drumbeat, and a soaring hook where Fisher's vocals are at their best. "Broken By Design" displays the opposite character: dark, delicate, bass-driven, yet unmistakably Basement in its instant catchiness and atmospheric feel. Nothing on Wired sounds stagnant, no part feels underdeveloped. The band drew inspiration from a host of adventurous influences (REM, Interpol, Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few) without ever sounding like any of them—or like a copy of themselves. The album title encapsulates it all in a single word. The textual connotations of "Wired"—metallic, sharp, jagged—reflect the album's steely soundscapes. On a conceptual level, the title speaks to the band's unwavering tenacity: an analog band that remains successful in an increasingly digital world without relying on nostalgic comfort. Five friends who have survived several breakups and new beginnings, growing as individuals and as a musical unit in the process. Basement have to accept their fate: they are simply made for it.