THIS IS WHAT A WINNER LOOKS LIKE

Welsh band Godsticks released their sixth studio album titled 'This Is What a Winner Looks Like' in 2023, entirely recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios. The Darran Charles-led collective presents a great collection of ten new songs, as Godsticks expand their sound with what could be regarded as their heaviest release yet. The album kind of sounds like what The Pineapple Thief could have done had they filtered their sound through something like Porcupine Tree's 'The Incident', for example. The rambling riffs intertwine with the fantastic writing in a glorious manner, resulting in a heavy album that keeps the listener engaged and thrilled, topped by the very good vocals, perhaps some of the best to be found on a Godsticks album.

In trying to capture different aspects of where their music could take them, the band have incorporated some electronic elements that fit in perfectly with the heavier edge prevalent on the record. Melodically and lyrically the album is quite strong and coherent and surpasses previous attempts at becoming a heavy prog staple. Flowing naturally between songs, each one is a little journey in itself, telling a different story as part of a grander narrative focused on isolation, angst as well as "the crushing inability to escape from the void of live performance". This is finally an exciting heavy prog album with an alt rock edge that doesn't sound tedious or generic but fresh, exciting and muscular. Great step forward for a now-experienced band that has gone through some stylistic shifts in their career.