REVIEW: Echo & The Bunnymen - Apples For Isaac

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN are back with their first album in 12 years that showcases the lighter jangly side of their music. For a band best known for atmospheric dark brooding post-punk, it sometimes escapes memory that ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN have a foot firmly in the world of neo-psychodelia. Apples For Issac showcases the band in their more 70s-inspired moments with a heavy dash of indie influence within it. The band have long been influential on so many aspects of the rock world, and it seems as if their influence has come back around to them.

Apples For Isaac feels like it’s a nod to where the band have come from and a celebration of layering guitars for jangly charm. It has a sound that feels like many of the 90s indie bands they inspired while still retaining a foot in the 70s. As with all the band’s releases, it is good, however they have a legacy of perfect songs (such as The Killing Moon) to live up to that no band has ever been able to top since its release and that includes ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN.

As a collection of songs, the album is a lovely listen. As previously mentioned, it’s on the easier end of their music but it still has the depth the band is known for. All the songs are around 3 and a half minutes long and so get straight to the point. The atmosphere is built more through layered guitar effects than layered lengthy songs. It almost touches on some shoegaze and dreampop style textures but still stays grounded in neo-psychodelia flair. It could be argued that this is an album of singles as every track fits neatly into a old style single format and is of similar quality. Nothing stands out, but that’s because everything is of the same great quality the band have become known for. 

Lyrically it is as strong as ever, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN lyrics have always been outstanding and nothing has changed in their time as a band. The words flow like the best poetry and help add to the atmosphere of the album. The history of the band’s working class background shows through the lyricism on display, becoming like a warm cup of tea keeping the album even in its more theosophical moments, fully grounded.

The band under the current lineup have become a duo of Ian McCullouch and Will Sergeant who still retain their power. Ian McCullouch’s vocals carry the listener into the world that the band always create, being a guardian in the world of Will Sergeant’s layered textured guitar. For how bright the album sounds, it does get to a stage where the level of guitar effects washes over the listener in waves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJpBLG-2R1w

Apples For Issac likely won’t convert any new fans into worshiping the legend of ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, but it proves to fans that they were right to always believe in them. It will be interesting to see how these new songs fare in a live setting when placed against the rest of their discography, it may work as a respite in the darkness of their other work. The band as song writers know what they do well, and they know where to take their music. They command their writing like many of the better legacy bands do, without resting on their laurels, but also without radically redesigning their sound. The band have light and dark in their discography, and this is a great showcase of them bringing the light.

Score: 7/10

Apples For Isaac will be released on 18th September 2026 via BMG.

Words: Will Freeman

Photos: Fritz