Newport, Wales quintet The Nightmares follow their 2023 debut album ‘Séance’ with new record ‘Fire in Heaven’ (released on 14 February, 2025 via Venn Records). With its title inspired by a quote from Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman, The Nightmares vocalist and guitarist Adam Parslow said: ‘This record explores the curiosity between the struggles of human existence on Earth, and the weight of what else might be out there in the wider universe…’.
‘Siren Song’ kicks off the album in style, blending Jimmy Eat World-style riffs with world-weary lyrics to powerful effect: ‘I’m possessed, we’ll call it blessed. Truth be told I’m a mess’. ‘Something in the Dark’ follows with brooding bass and gothic synths while recent single ‘Dead Roses’ heads off in a shoegazey direction, complete with Adam and Eleanor Coburn trading regretful vocals: ‘I’ve been led astray’.
‘Letting It All Go’ ups the tempo and brings more emo stylings – ‘Find me a quiet place to cry, this sentimental heart won’t die’ – while ‘Hell is Gonna Happen’ finds the band lamenting the end of a relationship against The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-style jangle-pop hooks: ‘You tore me heart in two… You left it black and blue’.
‘Blood On Your Hands’ is a slice of dream pop that transports you into the town of Twin Peaks’ Bang Bang bar, while ‘Run Away’ has increasingly levels of urgency that reminded us of The Hotelier: ‘Cut me open, look inside’. There’s more of a neo-classical-meets-post rock sound on ‘Winterlude’ while the closing ‘Melancholy Waltz’ closes the record in swinging, swaying style.
‘Fire in Heaven’ is an album that will set your heart alight and these are Nightmares you’ll want to revisit.
SEE THE NIGHTMARES LIVE:
15 February Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff – album release show
05 April Takedown Festival, Portsmouth Guildhall
