REVIEW: Diaz Brothers - The World Is Yours

Passive angst and layered riffs make up Diaz Brothers’ sophomore album The World is Yours. Their sound is that of a British Foo Fighters, with the technical ability present in the soundscape melting into a background rock sound whose tracks could melt perfectly into any radio rotation or pub playlist.

The World is Yours opens with a classic “f*ck Diaz Brothers”, before the first of the sharp melodies that are part of this project’s signature. This opener features another classic convention in the form of metaphors of love as addictive substances, and sets the tone well for the rest of The World is Yours. The track that stands out in the first half of this project was fourth offering 'Ego'; beginning with picking up the pace from the beginning tracks with a building four bar guitar riff present as the second half of each verse melts into its bridge and chorus. 'Ego' is a punchy “that’s enough out of you” ballad. that is also the first instance of mile-a-minute punk drumming getting its time in the sun. It’s the perfect modern rock song, drawn back only by a too-fast fade out right at the end.

The midpoint of this album is all about the intros - 'Anxiety Landslide' swells back in then hits a Metallica-charged riff, then 'Great British Fake Off' serves a little more punk in its introduction. Sandwiched between these two is second standout 'Who Am I': the drum solo in the beginning resolves into deep melodic rock. The fills are gorgeous throughout this track, while the swell back up into the final chorus and the warped shredding to accompany it makes for a satisfying listen from start to finish. The final third of this album is made up of the chilled out offering 'By My Side' - a track that sounds like a rewrite of Foo Fighter’s 'Monkey Wrench', which isn’t quite a compliment nor quite a criticism.

Following this is single 'Departure Lounge', which is the track that conjured the phrase passive angst and features, but it is penultimate track 'Blink' that stands out in this last section of The World is Yours; a call to action and final send off, that fades out with a feature of a fading piano mixed with record static. The actual closer 'My World' is a cover long performed by the Diaz Brothers, and works well as an epilogue with its learned feeling within each part.

To critique this project, it must be said that there is a sameness in the riffs and structures of many of the tracks throughout The World is Yours, that feels like it stems from the lack of face to face practicing time that Diaz Brothers enjoy. With one member hailing from the South and one the North, the ability to bounce from one another face to face proves difficult - and the quality of what they do produce considering is very high - but the lack of “I’ve been messing about with this lately” that comes with regular face time shows in the comfort of similar chord progressions and identical builds and resolves. The other thing that glares is how similar Diaz Brothers are to Foo Fighters in sound and energy; this is not a claim of copycatism though, rather of coincidence as the amount of times the thought crossed the brain was astounding. As a mackem, it is clear how well this sound goes down in Live Lounge or upstairs Independent sets (iykyk) and it’s hard not to have a soft spot for an album recorded so close to home.

Overall, The World is Yours has a plethora of solid riffs, drumlines and enough mature angst to see a listener through the train home from a rough day at the office. Absolutely recommended to fans of the Foo Fighters, anyone who described themselves as indie in the 2010s iteration of the label, and those whose idea of a very nice day out is heading to the pub with your dad or child for a pint and a band that a distant relation or friend is playing in.

Score: 8/10

The World Is Yours was released on June 6th 2025.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Diaz Brothers