Album Review
3-5 Stars Well positioned to continue on the path of becoming a genuine cult band.
Reviewer: Alex Doyle
Released: 21st November 2025
Label: Nice Swan
With a strong live reputation and involvement in a variety of music scenes in Leeds, Fuzz Lightyear, with their album ‘Zero Guilt’, appears to be on track to becoming a genuine cult band. The similarities between the tense, atonal vocal delivery of lead singer Ben Parry and that of Joe Talbot are undeniable. However, while many post-IDLES artists have embraced the Bristol band's style of frustrated rock infused with sing-along choruses, Fuzz Lightyear opts to maintain the fraught, intense chaos of their late-2010s breakthrough. The opening track ‘White And Green’ amplifies this energy, while ‘Berlin, 1885’ introduces a transition into distinctly post-rock guitar sounds. Not every track succeeds: ‘Sit Awake’ intensifies both Ben's gruff vocal style and the sharpness of the guitars, resulting in a sound that comes across as even more disjointed. At times, his detached delivery seems to convey indifference rather than a sense of resigned frustration. The sprawling centerpiece ‘Aberfan’ stands out as the most intriguing—and likely divisive—track on the album. This six-plus minute piece opens by channeling ‘80s indie, featuring airy production and echoing drums that contrast with the bright guitar riffs, while Ben’s vocals adopt a softer, (almost) melodic quality. Inspired by the devastating mining disaster that struck the community in 1966, the line “her newborn dances in coal” is profoundly visceral and heartbreaking, making it one of the most striking lyrics of the year.
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Well positioned to stay on track in becoming a genuine cult band.