Keyside – Album Review and Tour Announcement

Heart on sleeve narratives disguised in Merseybeat heritage.

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Attending the amount of gigs that I do, tends to keep you on your toes with the best emerging artists.

Leaping from the pantheon of a resurging British indie music scene, Keyside have arrived with a practically impeccable debut album.

Fairly late to the party, I discovered them around a year ago supporting Red Rum Club at the up close and personal Old Fire Station in Bournemouth. The sort of place you can see the whites of the bands eyes as they dedicate sweat-soaked sets to sardine-tin crowds.

It was my wife’s infatuation for northern accents that have a contrasting and exotic feel to the south coast dialect we posses that first drew us to Keyside. As with many of our shared favourites like Gerry Cinnamon, The Lilacs and Dylan John Thomas.

Her threshold of what constitutes a good set of music is probably a lot higher than mine, and I’m often told I’ll listen to “any old s**t”. A seal of approval from Kara Halcrow doesn’t come easy.

We’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of this self-titled album before it was even announced. And now, on 7th August 2026, the album is out in the world to be played and streamed, ready for a lifecycle of memories to emanate from its cover, sleeve and sound.

Coinciding with the album release, the band have confirmed their biggest ever UK tour with tickets on sale now. Consisting of Dani-Lee Parker (Vocals and guitar), Ben Cassidy (Guitar), Oisin McAvoy (Drums) and Max Gibson (Bass) they are set to fill rooms they could’ve only dreamed of packing out a year ago.

The album itself is undeniably a near perfect piece of work. It doesn’t just appeal to fans of historical Merseybeat bands like The Coral and The La’s, but also to fans of their Gen Z contempories. Acts that aren’t afraid to wear their emotions bare and wrap them up in the melodies, like The K’s, The Lathums and Wunderhorse.

Place the album down onto the spindle and gently lower your needle onto the groove of the track, and sit back as it roars into life. As the opening chords of their most popular track to date ‘Runaway’ reverberate around the room, you already know this is the start of something special.

It’s traditional Keyside, a Scouse release of endorphins to smooth, intricate guitars. A glimpse at youth struggle with a dark chorus lifted by the liberating guitars.

Another fan favourite, ‘Angeline’, opens next with a punch of driving drums and the familiar jangle-pop guitar riffs. This is followed by another hit from their back catalogue, ‘Down My Way’. A slower temped, hazier sound dictated by a swaying rhythm section.

Next up is the sun-drenched, high-energy summer anthem ‘Lemon and Lime’. Released as a standout single for the album, it captures the energetic sound of a raw live band.

‘Heaven’ arrives as the first unheard song from the debut album. Again, tapping into that kitchen-sink realism in the lyrics, that the Mersey band disguise with their signature wiry guitars. This theme follows with another new song ‘Comedown’. Parkers vocals are distinguishably lower in tone here, which helps to lower the mood and shift the album into a slightly newer direction.

Next up, the reverb heavy ‘Rock My Love’ continues the sedated theme. It’s a melodically warm track that highlights the twinkling guitars and poignant lyrics. This makes way for the fast, paced and infectious ‘Cocodamol’, probably my favourite single in the lead up to the album release. Another perfect example of their ability to contrast melancholy with a melodic energy.

Next, is the high tempo, foot-stomping ‘Red Ruby Red’. For me, this is the song that sounds most different to any other on the album. It still heavily features the signature jangly guitar riffs, but there’s a sense of country working its way into the chorus. The catchy, bouncing rhythm section leads the listener into an unknowing sway and bop.

Reaching its conclusion, fan favourites ‘Nikita’ and ‘Michael (You Can Call On Me)’ lead the listener with a sense of familiarity into the final track on the album, ‘Echoes’, which was released this week.

In this song, Cassidy takes his cinematic guitar melodies into the space of ethereal, reverb-laden production. Recalling the loss of Dani-Lee Parker’s uncle to drug abuse, it transforms this private grief into an incredible plea and an act of remembrance.

The album was recorded at Liverpool’s Kempston Street Studios with acclaimed producer Chris Taylor (The Coral, Blossoms, Brooke Combe), and released on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

This serves as the perfect culmination of Keyside’s music to date, refining a distinct formula for sweet and sour songwriting.

There’s something beautifully deceptive about Keyside and their debut album. “Smile while your hearts breaking” comes to mind. The infectious hooks in this album invite celebration, but if you scratch beneath the surface the lyrics are telling a completely different story. That push and pull narrative is what keeps this album alive.

It feels like more than a debut, capturing that strange contradiction of being forced to grow into adult life. It’s glorious and overwhelming, bottled into 12 hits of nostalgic Merseybeat.

Keyside’s upcoming live appearances are confirmed as follows: