And None of Them Knew They Were Robots (a.k.a ANOTKTWR or The Robots as we affectionately call them)… remember them? I’m sure some of you do; although for others reading this, their original period of activity may well be before your time, so we’ll do a potted history. The band were formed in the Leeds area in the early millennium and released a trio of EPs and mini-albums on CD through PigDog Records (s/t), In At The Deep End (Liebestod), and Jealous Records (Victory as a Drug). These were subsequently remastered for vinyl and reissued as a 2xLP discography set via Wolftown DIY in 2016 (they played a few reunion gigs around this time), which is well worth picking up, and is available currently at a relatively bargainous price of a mere £7 from Land of Treason Distro.
The band were something of a mainstay of the UK scene for a number of years, and played a lot of gigs (shows for those of you that verbally bastardise the concept of live performances in such a way) and you’d often find them on the bill of all-dayers and the like. I’m pretty sure we put them on in Manchester a couple of times back when. Their sound across their lifespan crossed the emo / post hardcore spectrum from the ‘hardcore EP’ as it was known, riffing heavily off a blend of Rites of Spring and Planes Mistaken For Stars, through to more melodic works seemingly more inspired by a Mid-West emo sound ala Sunny Day Real Estate, Braid and The Promise Ring, but with a math rock kind of bent. Both aspects were pretty great in my opinion, particularly as there was a whole British element to the sound bringing to mind the likes of Bob Tilton and Spy Vs. Spy amongst others.
So fast forward to 2025, pausing to acknowledge significantly more successful “side project” Send More Paramedics, and the Robots have crafted a new LP by the name of Almanac. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the rough mixes to listen to for some time (shout out to Kev Robot), as well as more recently, the mastered versions.
It’s a really accomplished piece of work, this. Not to cast shade on the earlier works or anything, but this certainly feels like a fair old leap forward in terms of both scope, ambition and musicianship. I’m particularly put in mind of the driving but intricate early works of The Appleseed Cast here (say perhaps Mare Vitalis and The End of the Ring Wars). Give this a bit of attitude adjustment via UK scene favourites of yore The Little Explorer for that fraught, raw edge, and it’s easy to see how this record almost immediately feels fucking golden, mate.
The risk here is that some people might mistakenly feel that this is unnecessary nostalgia for emo dads in their mid-40s. And, yeah, I suppose there is an element of that, which cynics amongst you may suggest is a bit self-conscious. Personally, yeah, I doubtless slot quite comfortably into that demographic, but can’t help but feel that such spurious notions are a bit dismissive and lazy. This record feels every bit as urgent as you might hope, and as well as giving out nods and handshakes to genre classics, with an added bit of peak Jimmy Eat World bombast, I can’t help but think Almanac feels pretty relevant in the wider context of the current wave of “emo revival”. Whilst I’m talking in terms of bands across the spectrum from Algernon Cadwallader to the likes of Praise, The Hotellier, Fiddlehead, and Militarie Gun – all of which sound nowt like the Robots – I can’t deny that the Robots dovetail well with what these bands are bringing to a younger audience, and ought to stand for something more than just “the UK’s answer to…” type claptrap.
Almanac, as I doubtless mentioned before feels really accomplished and sophisticated. There’s tons going on here sonically and structurally that people that are actual musicians (I’m not one) are going to be pretty excited about given how well we drift from twinkly sounds to punishing riffage so very smoothly. It’s enough to make you want to only dress in brown or something. Anyways, I’m proper buzzing off this album, and I can’t wait to get a hold of a vinyl copy. Musically, this year continues to not disappoint, which I’m really happy about.
Tony of Nurgle rating: 10/10
You can pre-order the vinyl LP now, for delivery in December.
In the meantime, fill your boots on the player below:
