Against the Current - Till Death & Back (2026)

Against The Current have a lot to catch us up on. Five years have unfolded since their last release proper with the EP Fever and eight since previous album Past Lives, taking them from their mid-twenties into their early thirties. Yet because so much time has passed, it means that as we find them again, they’re not just picking through the detritus and trauma of lost years. They’re on the other side of that, having found the gold beyond the grey.

Those two polarities of struggle and triumph are woven tightly around each other throughout the album, like yin and yang. It’s exemplified best at the dovetailing opener Fortune Favors The Brave, flecked with darkness despite how uplifting it sounds - ‘I’m not afraid / I’ve seen the bottom,’ sings vocalist Chrissy Costanza.

Dead Man Walking offers a slant of shadow to contrast its superpowered, anthemic feel – ‘Covered in the blood of all the shadows that I fought / If I'm the one left standing, why does it feel like I lost?’ – but amid defeat, she repeatedly insists she’s striding onwards. Meanwhile, Heavenly is where Chrissy imagines herself stepping off the pedestal and burning her life’s work to ash, her dark daydream contrasted by the lightness and melody of the music behind her.