Social Disguises -11 tracks with little-to-no filler – catches The Enemy deliver reckoning over nostalgia…

ROARING BACK

The Enemy have used early 2026 to roar back onto the British Indie scene with an album that isn’t here to quench any nostalgic thirst but to firmly imprint the current UK rock and indie scene. After a year of sold-out headline shows, The Enemy are here to remind fans of that untamed live spark that has driven their name since We Live and Die was released – 19 years ago! Tom Clarke stated that the writing of this album put the band, “back into the same headspace as our album.”

The raw indie urgency that we felt almost two decades ago has arrived back here and more so than any of their output in between. Social Disguises has grittier textures and more lyrical fragility than the debut album. In this, their fourth studio output, Tom Clarke attests that it could be their finest hour in a world they can barely keep up with. So I’ll state this now – I think it might be… this is the album that doesn’t just start a new chapter but could write their legacy, if you give it the time and space it deserves.

Defining Debut Energy 

2007, if you can believe it, was the release year for the Apple iPhone (I looked that up), Gordon Brown was beginning his tumultuous reign as the Prime Minister and we were on the precipice of a global financial crisis. Amidst such global upheaval, the quartet from Coventry – fresh from a wave of Midlands bands output- released their suitably aggressive debut. Almost twenty years on, still with the grungier edges of Green Day, the swagger of the Stone Roses and the Kasabian heft pulling through, they arrive tighter and seemingly more alive.

Standout tracks like The Last Time, Innocent, Pretty Face and Serious all tilt the sound towards a more polished outcome but unwavering in the grittier, grungier ends of the spectrum. Of all the tracks that are homage to a more mature sound, built on their heritage, it’s The Boxer – the standout single and album opener – that burns brightest here. Clarke snarls through the lyrical drone: “He used to be the boxer, he used to be the man; he takes out his frustration anywhere he can…” as punchy as a fighting opener you will find. Together, these tracks form a relentless salvo: thunderous riffs, chant-ready choruses, unpolished energy that screams arena-primed revival, not reunion relic.

Amen, brother. 

Trouble lights up the opening of the album’s midsection with some driving percussion and, once again, that distorted grunge sound they’ve picked up from their mid-2000 influences. It’s reminiscent of The Ordinary Boys quirkier indie but with a more polished rounding at the edges. It’s also got the hint of fragility around the edges: “I don’t understand a thing these days; maybe I’m too stuck in my ways?” Amen, brother.

The under-current Coventry lean bites down harder in the reckoning of the mid-album: Social Disguises, with its sumptuous lead riff needled perfectly against the vocal harmony, is playful and typical of band who have always enjoyed rather than endured the songwriting process. Controversial is a deeper cut, perhaps a little too lifted from the Kaiser Chiefs playbook for it to be considered era-defining, but a niche nod to their peers of the time. The Last Time is more harmonious and has the edging of a more modern Lathums-esque sound. It’s hard to tell who influences who at this point; it’s British Indie as we know it. 

Sound-bite refined. 

This album trends toward raw replication with evolution: punchy Matt Terry production keeps it arena-raw with their sneer allowed to poke through the gaps in the gloss. The sound is grittier overall – fuzzier guitars, pounding rhythms – yet tighter craft ensuring the verses barrel hard into the refrains of the choruses. There aren’t weak links here; I’ve found it compelling and far beyond expectations.

After regrouping in 2022, and spending time touring material old and new, the purpose of this album elevates the bombast of its most direct 2007 counterpart: fragility sharpens the hook. Generational unease identifies a whispered nuance that, perhaps, they truly appreciate this rebirth. Social Disguises doesn’t mimic their earlier work but masters the efforts. These are solid, strong 11 tracks with little-to-no filler. In a scene craving authenticity, The Enemy have delivered reckoning over nostalgia. 

Here’s Not Going Your Way:

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