Suede’s “Autofiction” is a little more personal, but musically it’s one of the more outstanding albums. In fact, if I can use the word “harmonious”, I found that the entire band were in sync and harmonious and that’s not something all bands can accomplish. This is accomplished with band members in sync in trying to create wonderful music together and putting in 1000% in creating that right sound. Suede accomplished that with “Autofiction”!
Purchase Suede’s “Autofiction” on Amazon
BAND: The London Suede
ALBUM: Autofiction
DURATION: 11 Songs (46 Minutes)
YEAR OF RELEASE: September 16, 2022
1. She Still Leads Me On
2. Personality Disorder
3. 15 Again
4. The Only Way I Can Love You
5. That Boy On The Stage
6. Drive Myself Home
7. Black Ice
8. Shadow Self
9. It’s Always The Quiet Ones
10. What Am I Without You?
11. Turn Off Your Brain And Yell
It has been nearly 30 years since the release of Suede’s (aka in the US as “The London Suede” as the band doesn’t have the US rights to the name “Suede”) self-titled debut album.
While the band formed in London back in 1989 and consists of singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler (who was later replaced by Richard Oakes), bass player Matt Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert, it doesn’t seem long ago when they were dubbed by Melody Maker as “The Best New Band in Britain” and when their debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in ten years.
And of course, being the band that helped foster Britpop (which was the UK’s answer to America’s Grunge rock scene and the UK’s shoegaze music scene), rock music in the UK became catchier and the movement was inspired by the British pop music of the ’60s, glam rock/punk rock of the ’70s and indie pop of the ’80s.
Of course, the band wanted to distance themselves from “Britpop” (despite many considering them as one of the top four, especially as the music movement would slowly be phased out for post-Britpop Indie. While many of those bands are no more (Suede wasn’t immune to the decline as they also called it a day in 2003 and reunited in 2010 for a comeback show which would lead to a tour and their sixth album “Bloodsports” in 2013), Suede to this day continues to produce music.
And in September 2022, the band would release their ninth album, their first in four years since their 2018 album “The Blue Hour”. This time with the BMG music label and the group working with producer Ed Buler for the seventh time.
The band began work on “Autofiction” in 2000 and as lead singer Brett Anderson called the new album’s sound as “nasty, brutish and short” and as for the title, Anderson told the Independent, “Autofiction is a genre that’s part memoir, part fiction, to a certain extent, you’re manipulating the truth. No art is 100pc truth. Even a memoir in which a writer thinks he’s just delivering the nuts and bolts of his life is still making decisions about what they leave out and what they decide to include. At the other end of the spectrum, The Lord of the Rings is the ultimate fantasy book, with its wizards and goblins, but it still contains human truths”.
Anderson would also say about the album in his interview with NME, “Every record is a reaction to the last record to some extent. You don’t want to just keep going in the same direction. I wanted to come back and make something that felt a little bit more raw, a little bit more angry, a little bit more nasty. ‘Autofiction’ is our punk record, and we’re fucking proud of it”.
But nevertheless, the album is a creative decision by the band and go back-to-basics and the goal was to write songs and play them at small venues, that was until the Pandemic hit and derailed those plans.
And while working on a pair of memoirs (“Coal Black Mornings” about his childhood and the formation of Suede and “Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn” about the band), Anderson felt that by doing so, it brought out a lot of emotions but also an album that shows maturity. Anderson said the new album “Autofiction” is a genre that’s part memoir and part fiction.
The opening track on the album “She Still Leads Me On” is a beautiful song dedicated to Anderson’s mother and the love he had for his mother and how her death in 1989 had affected him. The song is something many people can sympathize with as it really hits in many levels. If you had a strong relationship with your mother, this song is no doubt memorable and will stay with you for a long time.
The second track “Personality Disorder” is a song that features awesome music, with the guitar, bass and percussion while Anderson, does a lot of spoken word for the lyrics, listening to the lyrics, it seems it’s an outlook of life to death and the end (of relationship?).
The third track “15 Again” is wonderful and Richard Oakes is amazing on electric guitars in this track and is a song looking back at one’s youth. One of my favorite tracks on the album!
The fourth track “The Only Way I Can Love You” is a love song and while he may not show it or if that person feels disappointed by their relationship, he wrote this song of love for that person and it’s “the only way I can love you”. A brilliant track and another favorite of mine on this album.
The fifth track on the album is “That Boy on the Stage” and I believe at one time it was called “That White Boy on the Stage”. Another awesome song on the album that captures that Suede sound but also makes you wonder who Anderson is writing about?
The sixth track is a rock ballad leaving someone, driving home alone and seeing the person you love on your rearview mirror with the breaklights on that person (or other individuals).
The seventh track “Black Ice” is a song which I believe Anderson wrote for his son. And Anderson has said his last few Suede albums were inspired by his son and his recent memoirs were wrote for his son. Love the music for this song as it has a Siouxsie and the Banshees style to it. Great use of guitars and bass on this song!
Anderson had said to “The Father Hood” website, “Yes, I found it fascinating becoming a father. Before I became a father I didn’t care very much about where I’d come from. But I became a father and started thinking about it a lot. Having a child reminds you of your own childhood and stirs up all these thoughts about mortality and those big questions in life. You have a very blasé and ungrateful view of your parents until you become a parent yourself and realise how bloody hard it is and how thankless it can be at times. I found it very much inspiring” and that his songs reflecting on family would focus on the “darker moments, self-doubt and isolation”.
The eight tack “Shadow Self” and is a tongue and cheek song and her saying: “Shut up” she said “I don’t want nobody. I’ll dance with my shadow self”, according to Anderson, one accepting their dark side. Having alter-egoes of ones self and not needing anyone else, but being happy with one’s alter ego. Anderson said in an interview with SuperDeluxeEdition, “I think about my former selves in the same way, as there are so many different versions of who I was: the 15-year-old boy is still in me, as is the 26-year-old manchild and the 40-year-old man. All of them are me, and it’s sometimes nice to find a place at the table for them”.
The ninth track “It’s Always the Quiet Ones”, a rock track about one feeling strongly about something, wanting to write them letters but never sending them. So, these people stay in the shadows.
The tenth track “What am I Without You?” is a ballad and thinking about the person you deeply care about and asking the questions, “Well what am I, what am I without you? I’m nothing without you. So let love burn”.
The final eleventh track is “Turn Off Your Brain and Yell”, a song about wanting a person to show them their true self, wounds and all. The song starts out slow but goes through a faster musical transition which is so darn cool! Another awesome track on this album!
After having listened to Suede’s “Autofiction”, you do get some of that classic Suede with this album, but with more mature writing lyrics and music that really sounds very cool and organic and not overly produced! It’s a wonderful, strong rock album from Suede and if anything, I appreciate the band for trying to be different and keep things different from their last album (considering their 2018 album “The Blue Hour” had some orchestral tracks, which I was not expecting, but it worked!). If anything, I like the idea of Anderson creating things that fans and listeners will not expect, so I look forward to what he has in store for Suede fans.
Suede’s “Autofiction” is a little more personal, but musically it’s one of the more outstanding albums. In fact, if I can use the word “harmonious”, I found that the entire band were in sync and harmonious and that’s not something all bands can accomplish. This is accomplished with band members in sync in trying to create wonderful music together and putting in 1000% in creating that right sound. Suede accomplished that with “Autofiction”!
Recommended!
