  
On the 11th August the tenth studio album by British
punk sensations Stiff Little Fingers drops, the
album was fully funded through Pledge Music and
was released throughout March for people who pledged
and help fund the album and now the wait is nearly
over for everyone else to get their hands on the
album as the band release it through their own
Rigid Digits label.
The last studio album released from Stiff Little
Fingers was 2003’s ‘Guitar And Drum’
so ‘No Going Back’ comes a massive
11 years after that and you might well be wondering
what the band have been doing in that massive
absence yet hardcore fans will know that Stiff
Little Fingers enjoy life on the road ever so
much and have been touring as much as they can
through the years and are still touring now right
up until their new albums release date.
If you have been patiently waiting 11 years for
a new Stiff Little Fingers album that I can confirm
that ‘No Going Back’ has easily been
worth the wait as the band are back with a full
on catchy punk rock album with anthems to rival
those of their back catalogue and to battle old
fan favourites for permanent set list positions
on the live circuit.
The album kicks off with ‘Liar’s Club’
a song which see’s Stiff Little Fingers
stay true to themselves lyrically as the sing
about the world of politicians and how they promise
so much deliver nothing and generally lie to gain
your vote, musically the song flows really fast
with a big fun catchy vibe, the punk rock attitude
is still there aswell as the edgy guitars.
‘My Dark Place’ see’s Jake Burns
sing about depression and it’s so good to
see him sing about such a deep and dark topic
in such a positive way as the whole bands playing
gives the song a mega catchy feel and all over
positive edge and is one of those songs which
you will find yourself listening to over and over
again before you resume your journey within the
album.
‘Full Steam Backwards’ features Jake
Burns at the top of his game as his vocals chop
and change throughout the song as during the opening
parts off the song his vocals are quite edgy and
once the chorus hits things become big and melodic
but with still a slight bit of punk edge and attitude
as Jake Burns sings “Put your money in the
bank, son, there I say, You couldn’t see
the bastards take them in, same full steam backwards
everyday”.
‘I Just Care About’ me tackles the
topic of selfishness and for the majority of the
song it sounds pretty average but once the super
charged chorus kicks in you soon know about it
as the band go all out with solid drum beats,
fast guitar riffs, bouncy basslines and a set
of vocals coming at you at such a speed.
‘Don’t Mind Me’ see’s
the band slightly go down the ska-punk route.
‘Guilty As Sin’ see’s the band
go back to their Celtic roots as they drop the
aggressive punk rock that we expect from them
and churn out a beautiful sounding folk number
instead. ‘One Man Island’ is a really
uplifting number with some good bouncy basslines.
‘Throwing It All Away’ is catchy from
start to finish as easily one of the best tracks
on the album.
Stiff Little Fingers have been going since 1977
minus a few years for breaks and what not but
over those years the band had an incredible journey
with various studio albums, ep’s and live
album releases and not to mention the amount of
tours they have embarked on of England and also
the rest of the world and now the band are back
with a brand new studio album, it might not be
their edgiest or best album but it is yet another
solid album for a band that who have been through
so much and seen so much, if you are looking out
for a fast paced poppy punk album then I think
‘No Going Back’ is the album you have
been looking for.
4.5/5
Review by Trigger
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