Review

By Liam Hughes | 08/04/2026

There’s something stubbornly noble about The Sherlocks. Hailing from South Yorkshire, they’ve weathered the industry’s fickle winds with a grit befitting their hometown roots. On their fifth studio album, *Everything Must Make Sense!*, they strike a delicate balance between reinvention and reassurance — the sonic equivalent of buying a new coat that still smells faintly of the local pub. Produced by David Radahd-Jones in Manchester — a city whose musical ghosts surely lingered in the rafters — the album hums with confidence and polish. It’s clear The Sherlocks have outgrown the skinny-jean indie cage they were once boxed into. There’s synth shimmer here, sure, but it’s tethered to the floor by meaty guitar hooks and Kiaran Crook’s unmistakably Yorkshire vocals, full of unfiltered yearning and grit. Opener “Don’t Let It Out” kicks in like a galloping statement of intent — tighter, bigger, bolder. Elsewhere, tracks like “Sirens” and “Remember All the Girls” flirt with stadium-sized ambition without slipping into caricature. You can hear the echoes of early Arctic Monkeys, yes, but also of Editors, Blossoms, and perhaps even a touch of Springsteen-in-the-suburbs. Lyrically, the band steer away from pretension. There’s no cryptic navel-gazing here — just heart-on-sleeve honesty about love, loss, and trying to make sense of it all. It’s as if the title isn’t just a declaration but a plea, made by four lads trying to anchor themselves in an increasingly absurd world. There are softer moments too — the acoustic ballads breathe amid the swagger, offering texture rather than tedium. This isn’t just a pub gig record; it’s crafted with the sort of maturity that only comes from a band that’s learned how to stumble and recover with style. *Everything Must Make Sense!* doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does give it a damn good spin. And if this is The Sherlocks entering their second act, it’s one worth watching — pint in hand, head nodding, and heart quietly stirred.