Arab Strap – Half-Told Tales

Rock Action

One of my favorite musical niches is talk rock. I appreciate a great singer just as much as the next guy, but something has always been very compelling to me about musical storytellers who don’t always need a melody. This approach is at the core of two of my favorite bands: The Hold Steady and Self Defense Family, but is also an identifying characteristic of longtime celebrated acts like Lou Reed, Soul Coughing, and Talking Heads. For the last 30 years, Arab Strap have been the Scottish talk rock kings, with their signature acoustic-electronic hybrid topped off with Aidan Moffat’s bleak brogue tying it all together. Think Sleaford Mods, with all of the snark, but the themes of resistance and rebellion swapped for intense hopelessness and intentionally hammed-up cynicism.

In 2021, Moffat and right-hand man Malcolm Middleton closed an almost 16-year album gap with As Days Get Dark, an early contender for one of the best indie music comebacks of the decade, and thankfully haven’t slowed down much since. 2024 saw the perfectly titled follow-up, I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍, and this past Friday they hit their third reunion win with Half-Told Tales, another impressive collection of tracks that remain exciting without straying too far from their established formula. 

Opening tracks “I Get Noise” and “You You You” showcase the group in their punchy, post-punk pocket, while “Fighting For You” bursts into a damned real dance rocker, even with Moffat’s musings over top. But tracks like “Be A Man,” “Gape,” and “Basic Physics” will be more familiar, with sparser production lending itself to the moodier side of things. “Sunsong” finds a beautiful balance between these two sides, incorporating a strong melodic presence to Arab Strap’s signature drear.

At fourteen fully fleshed-out songs, Half-Told Tales recalls the denser days of Arab Strap like 1998’s Philophobia and 2003’s Monday At The Hug & Pint. The band has always delivered a rewarding payoff for a listener’s patience, and it’s no different this time around, with gems like “Ampersand” and “Beats Per Minute” bringing up the album’s final leg. This is the perfect record to get ready for Fall with, as the days do get dark, which I am totally fine with, even if listening to this record on repeat may suggest otherwise.