Broken Machine

Hola everyone.

I know I said that I’d do some kind of series about my trip to Paris, but something really important happened today. So important that I just have to break in the series. Today is the day that Nothing But Thieves released their new album. You can probably guess it. I’m shook.

Nothing But Thieves – a band I’ve now known for over a year. A band I fell in love with the second I listened to their music. And a band I’ve been following ever since, especially after getting the chance to see them live last year at Reading and experiencing their amazing show. And now, after nearly two years or so, their new album called “Broken Machine” is finally out. And I can tell you, I’ve waited for quite a while for this and now that it’s here, it’s completely blowing me away.

During the last few weeks, they have actually already given the world bits and pieces of the new LP. A new single, another one, an acoustic version and then even two more songs. And they were all mind-blowing. But now that I’m able to listen to the album in full, it really feels like a complete piece. A piece of art. So, without further ado, here’s the track list and some bits of my opinion:

I Was Just A Kid
- I would say that this is seriously the perfect beginning of the album. It shows their way of combining good, old rock n’ roll with some new indie tunes and of course Conor Masons mind-blowing voice (he’s the lead singer). I actually froze while running up the stairs because I was so shocked while listening to it for the first time.
Amsterdam
- This was the first new song they released and for me the perfect representation for what they are capable of doing. It has the most amazing intro with a beat that really sticks to your memory. And then it gets louder and faster and better. It just pops.
Sorry
- I present you the second single and definitely my favorite song of the whole album. I was so blown away when I first listened to it, I actually couldn’t stop playing it for over a week. I’ve probably listened to it more than a hundred times. It’s so good, no joke. Also, there’s an acoustic version available, which sometimes – depends on the mood – is even better. I love it.
Broken Machine
- For me, this is the one song you would never expect to hear from this band, especially not the intro. It’s kind of weird, really mechanical (HA), and then turns into this rock song with Conor’s voice in the background. And the lyrics are amazing, no wonder it’s the title track.
Live Like Animals
- If I had to choose, I would actually say that this one is the one song I enjoy the least. I don’t really know why. It’s probably the guitar chorus. But apart from that part, the song is crazily good. I just adore Conor’s voice so much.
Soda
- This song is what you could call the ballade of the album. It’s really chilled compared to the other songs and really calming, despite the guitars in the background. And somehow the lyrics are kind of depressing (“I don’t wanna be myself”), but I think that just adds the special touch to the song.
I’m Not Made By Design
- This is the kind of song I can already imagine being the craziest when played live. The guitars are powerful, Conor is giving everything with his angelic voice and the beat is amazing. It’s the perfect getting-hyped-up song.
Particles
- Apart from Sorry, this is basically the one song to fall in love with. When I first listened to it right after midnight – of course I waited for the album to be released to listen to it right then and there – I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know about you, but for me this song is literally perfect. And let’s not forget Conor’s vocals and falsetto parts. You can really hear his classical vocal training, his voice is so strong. And moreover, on the deluxe version of the album, there’s a piano version of this song and it’s even better than the “normal” version, at least for me. And yes, I cried. Just listen to it, you’ll see. You’ll tear up too. God, Conor’s voice, it’s giving me goosebumps. I wish I could bury myself into this song. Seriously.
Get Better
- This is the perfect bounce-your-head-to-it song. It’s kind of upbeat, but also a little bit slow and chilled back. It’s a mix of both. And for me yet another song that perfectly reflects the kind of style of music they are heading to or living for right now.
Hell, Yeah
- Hell. I think this song is literally about hell – “it’s just a little bit warmer”, “it’s just like home”. Somehow quite funny to me as a lyrical piece, but not when you listen to it. Right at the beginning, there’s just Conor’s voice and an acoustic guitar and he sounds hurt. You can hear the hurt in his voice. So I strongly believe that there’s so much more to this song than hell, literally. Nonetheless, this one is amazing, but that’s not really a surprise, is it?
Afterlife
- This one here is the last song on the “normal” version of the album and with it’s title, it’s fits, really. It has this kind of Amsterdam vibe to it and it’s also a little bit more calming. And for me the best last song they could have chosen.

When you get the deluxe version of the album, there are four more songs waiting for you to listen to them – Reset Me, Number 13 and the acoustic version of Sorry and the piano version of Particles, which I’ve already mentioned. Reset Me is kind of a punch in the face after Afterlife. It’s rough, fast and loud and exciting. So exciting. And Number 13 is simply cool. It’s bouncy, pure old school rock full of amazing, rough vocals and great guitars and beats. And it combines like five types of music in one. It’s hard to describe, so I guess you just need to give it a listen to hear it yourself.

So, guys, there you go. That’s the new masterpiece called “Broken Machine” by Nothing But Thieves. And it really is a masterpiece. I’m so proud of this band and of what they achieved. They really grew together with their music and especially Conor gets better and better with every single new song, every single new show. It’s actually quite sad for me that they are little bit underrated and kind of still a secret in the music universe, but I’m sure that this will change dramatically after this release. Thank god they are going on tour this winter already and I’ve got tickets to see them. I would never be able to wait much longer for the moment I get to listen to the songs live. Because if Nothing But Thieves are anything, they are the kind of band that is even better live than on the studio versions. And that’s hard to manage, trust me.

So, yeah, if I can give you anything, it’s the advice to give this band a listen, seriously. You won’t regret it. But I guess you’ve already noticed that I’m really hyped for this band. God, I love them. And to end this post on something exciting, I’ll leave some videos for you to watch down below. Please enjoy. And I wish you all an amazing weekend and hope that you enjoyed this post. And please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, of course. And, as always, thanks for reading. x