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Busted Are Back!

And so am I!

Hey guys, I know it’s been a while since the last post, but as you can see I’ve been super busy giving the site a bit of a face lift. It’s taken a while, and there’s still a few kinks, and a couple of extra things I’d like to add in the future, but it was definitely time for a bit of a revamp. I am super happy with how it’s looking, and I hope you guys like it too!

Anyway, Busted have a new album out, and I just had to review it. I’ve been a fan of Busted since back in the day, I spent the majority of my school years standing in hallways singing ‘Crashed The Wedding’ with my friends, or just fantasising about how myself and James would get married one day.

Now, I have to be honest, when I first heard Busted were getting back together I was met with mixed feelings of joy and slight frustration, I really wasn’t all for it. Yes I’d missed their music, yes it broke my heart when they split, but also at the same time I have never been a Charlie fan, and to me it seemed a little like a money stunt on his part.

For those who don’t know the history part of this, I’ll explain. Busted split up as Charlie wanted to go on to explore different music opportunities, and wasn’t happy with where Busted was heading, and as I’ve grown and lost my rabid teenage Busted fan hatred, I can totally see that as an artist that’s what he needed to do. Although given this he did not allow Matt and James to continue the band without him, or use the name or anything relating with it in any further projects the pair did, which still seems a tad mean, but anyway, that’s not the point. Many years passed and James and Matt wanted to reform the band, Charlie said no, but band pals McFLY were up for merging and creating a super group (honestly when this happened 14 year old me may have passed out from excitement), Charlie agreed to letting this happen and gave the Busted rights back to James and Matt in order for them to form McBusted (yeah, it wasn’t the best name). I actually really loved their album together and both styles – in my mind – blended together pretty well. After McBusted did incredibly well, suddenly Charlie pops back out of the woodwork and guess what, Busted are suddenly completely reforming with the original three. Now don’t get me wrong, I am obviously happy about this, but doesn’t it seem a teensy tiny bit like money/fame grabbing on Charlie’s part? I mean, it could be completely innocent, but it just doesn’t appear like that when you take all the facts into consideration. Anyway, I’m over it, and yeah I still don’t like Charlie all that much (I will add that it’s not just because of the split. I never liked him that much. He was always my least favourite, and always appeared a little up himself when on interviews and such like. He may have changed now, but who knows).

Now the history lesson is over let’s get back to the real part of this post. So Busted have actually been back together for a little while now, and this is their second album since the reform. Honestly though, who really wants to remember Night Driver? That album was not what I expected the comeback to be, and was very very different to anything we’d heard from them before. This isn’t always a bad thing, but in this case it was a pretty boring album. Their new album Half Way There is the comeback we were all expecting. It has the pop-rocky tunes everyone loved from them (as well as a few cheeky lyrics), all while showing how the band has aged.

Let’s have a run down of the songs

The album title from the box art of Busted: Half Way There

Nineties

Nineties is probably the best song to show a transition between Night Driver and Half Way There. Using the synth in the beginning bridges the gap between the different tones and styles in each album. It’s when the guitar’s kick in that it really becomes a good song though. Being the first track on the album does hit the nail on the head for this one being a bit more rocky, and having a more grown up edge to it. The nostalgia in this song is perfect though, growing up in the 90’s and early 00’s they really resonated with me, taking me back to my childhood and those ‘good old days’ we all long for now. Quite a few of the lyrics made me smile and have a little chuckle to myself, as truly ‘god I miss the nineties’.

Reunion

This track hits a slightly poppier note than the previous, but links seemlessly. The old Busted feel is definitely back in this track, the story of meeting that old flame at your school reunion, harks back to loads of previous story telling songs the band have done over the years. It’s the kind of track you want to do all those Busted guitar jumps to. I really did have a smile on my face listening to it. It was like my childhood was back, and it worked so well with my life now, just as it had back in my teenage years.

What Happened To Your Band

This one’s a little cheeky. This is a song from the McBusted Album, just adapted slightly. It lacks the explicit lyrics, and has a slightly calmer musical tone to it. I mean, it’s not an issue. It was probably written mostly by Matt and James anyway, plus it’s well known McFLY and Busted collaborate regularly on songs together and have done throughout all of their albums. I just find it a little bit of a cop out to use a song that was already written, rather than something new. Anyway, that note aside, I do like this song. The lyrics denote what I assume all of them went through once Busted split, and is a great nod to the past years where they’ve been missing. I do love that lyrics can be applied them to any aspect of life, even if you weren’t in a famous band in the 90’s. There are phrases I hear constantly, as does any young adult, and hits on those annoying things about being an adult. I do prefer the McBusted version, it was a bit harsher and angrier, using a heavier guitar and with a bit more anger in the vocals. The newer version feels a bit more subdued, and is not my favourite track because of that.

Shipwrecked In Atlantis

I LOVE this track. It’s so fun and fresh, once again a harp back to the Busted of before, but with more to it. It’s more refined than past songs, but it’s another song you just want to bop along to, shouting out the fun lyrics. It’s probably along the lines of Year 3000 if you were to liken it to any track from their past. I could listen to this song all day and not get bored, and smile at how much it reminds me of the albums of yonder years.

Race To Mars

I have to love this song, Tony Stark is mentioned in it, so obviously, I love it. It is a bit more on the synthy side of things, and calmer than the other songs on the album. There’s a lot less guitar, which I’m not such a fan of. I mean c’mon Busted is literally guitars, this was why I disliked ‘Night Driver’ so much. They do bring it back round though. The chorus saves it, to be honest, when we get back into something that’s a bit more tuneful. I mean it is a take it or leave it track when put next to the rest of the album for me, buuuut Tony Stark 🙂

All My Friends

Once again they hit you with a healthy amount of nostalgia in this song. The lyrics really sum up adulthood when looking back, and seeing what’s going on with friends nowadays, which I totally get. There’s so many times you turn around and go, where did that time go? Why don’t we do that anymore? The lyric ‘we’re not old, but not as young as we used to be.’ hits home, and is the theme in this one. The use of the acoustic guitar suits it perfectly and it has serious ‘Meet You There’ vibes. I’m a sucker for a heartfelt acoustic track, so I think my favourite and most listened to song of the album will go to this one. It sits with me, and is really well out together.

Mia

Surprisingly this track isn’t about a girl called Mia, but a girl called Nicole, and Mia is for M.I.A. (missing in action), which I missed on the first few listens. I really did think it was about a girl called Mia and the M.I.A. reference was clever. It’s still clever, just a bit confusing. That part aside I did like this track, the heavy guitars on the chorus go nicely with the emotion, while still keeping this as another track that makes you tap your foot along to it. Plus the chorus lyrics will get stuck in your head without you realising, and you’ll be sat there humming it along at work without realising (this has obviously not happened to me…..honest…..ok, maybe once, or twice….)

Radio

The inevitable breakup song that every album has to have. The lyrics in this are actually really moving. Paired with the music this track actually has more of a positive vibe behind it, which lends itself to one of the chorus lines ‘Hold on. Nothing’s forever. I know things will get better’ even though the rest of the words are much more somber. It does need this lift to it though, otherwise it would be a pretty sad song sat in the middle of a happy memory trip, and I just don’t know if that would fit.

Nostalgia

It’s only right there’s a song on this album with this title, and it’s a great track. It has that classic Busted drumming guitar running through the verses, which adds to the sentiment of this song. It centers on the idea of when that ex comes back into your life and you can’t tell if it’s just remembering the good times with them, or if you actually still love them or not, and not being able to tell the difference. Which I know so many people have been in this situation or one similar, like when you want to break up with someone, but then the memories stop you, y’know like they talk about on ‘How I Met Your Mother’ – revertigo.

It Happens

Can I have two favorite acoustic songs on this album? Please? As I also love this one soooooo much. The chorus has such an uplifitng message to it, and when I’ve been in a slump recently this song has actually really helped me get out of it. It concentrates on the fact bad things happen, we all get knockbacks, and they hurt, and we can feel like we’re failing, but maybe we’re not. Things go wrong, but it’s not the end and we can fight through and find the silver linings. It’s a song that makes you continue to push and fight for what you want, and maybe even to believe in your dreams even when you feel like your stuck.

James, Matt and Charlie from Busted

Overall

I really do love this album, I’ve listened to it so much since it’s release and I’m not sick of anything on it yet. It’s a magical hit of nostalgia, while also acknowledging all the time that’s passed as well. Busted have grown up with us, and now the music we listened to that was explaining our life back then is doing it now. I for one am so glad they’ve come back (yes even Charlie, I may still grumble at his name regularly though). It is perfect and pays true homage to the past albums, while giving us something new and a bit different. I was worried for a while they’d abandoned their guitars and were going on some totally new synth music trip, but I am so releived they’re not. So now can we just forget that ‘Night Driver’ happened and pretend this was the big Busted comeback? Please?

Have you guys listened to the album yet? What are your thoughts? Drop them below in the comments! Don’t forget to subscribe to get all the updates from when I blog, and follow me on the social medias (@missannielarkin)

Annie xx

4 Comments

  • Heather

    I have to admit that for me, Busted and McFLY were not my generation – and ye gods I feel old saying that! Haha. As they were in their prime I was just heading out of college and into university, and as that happened I was finding my interest in more punk and rock music, but never really listened to them. I know some of their popular numbers because, hey, who doesn’t know the popular songs of their youth but that’s about it. I do need to go back and listen to them at some point, and this new album sounds great. I really enjoyed reading your commentary! You reached the perfect ground between personal opinion, nostalgic comparison and interpreting it all as new music. So even if I don’t end up listening to the album personally I feel like I kind of have through you 🙂

    • MissAnnieLarkin

      I would definitely give their stuff a listen, the album tracks of their older stuff are really nice. McFLY are more musical and have loads of different genres in their music, so they’re great to listen to all the time. Aww thanks so much 🙂 xx

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