Review by Phil Rozier for MPM
I’ll level with you straight away: normally I spend days living inside an album before I even think about writing a review. I soak it in, spin it repeatedly, let it breathe, let it bruise, let it get under my skin.
But not this time. Not for this record. Not for Attitude Adjustment. Because if the Buzzcocks are kicking off 2026 with a fullthrottle punk release, then I’m meeting them on their own terms. This review is plugandplay. Volume up. Then up again. For fuck’s sake, it’s a punk record, if your neighbours aren’t complaining, you’re doing it wrong. And honestly, what better way to spend New Year’s Day than blasting a 14track Buzzcocks album so loud it rattles the cutlery drawer. Start as you mean to go on: loud, fast, and dripping in punkass attitude.
The album kicks the door off its hinges with Queen of the Scene, a glorious, overdriven, singalong riot. The line “try to get to heaven in a suicide machine” hits like a dark wink wrapped in candy floss. Classic Buzzcocks contradiction. It’s upbeat, noisy, and absolutely soaked in overdrive. A proper opener. A statement of intent. A reminder that even after decades, they still know exactly how to grab you by the collar. If this is the tonesetter, then track two has a lot to live up to.
Surprisingly, beautifully, Games doesn’t try to outpace the opener. Instead, it eases into a slower, sunnier groove. Stephen Diggle’s unmistakable vocal chime gives it that warm, nostalgic lift, like a punk track that accidentally wandered into summer. There’s a constant upbeat pulse, a breezy positivity, and a guitar solo that slices right through the centre of the track like it’s made for festival fields and open car windows. You can already imagine this one blasting across 2026. Loud, bright, and unapologetically feelgood.
Seeing Daylight arrives with a thumping powerchord intro and a bassline that strolls in with confidence. Again, there’s that summerinwinter irony: this is the kind of track you’d blast with the windows down, sun on your face, not pitchblack January cold. But that’s the charm. It’s optimistic, melodic, and built for movement. Three tracks in, and the album has a surprising cohesion: punk energy, yes, but with a breezy, uplifting edge.
The upbeat joyride continues with Tears of a Golden Girl, another slice of that deceptively simple Buzzcocks magic. The tone, the drums, the bass, nothing flashy, nothing overengineered, just tight, clean songwriting doing the heavy lifting. Good music doesn’t need to be technically acrobatic; it needs to feel right. And this one does. It’s breezy, melodic, and sits perfectly in the album’s growing sunshinepunk aesthetic. And yes, some purists will still insist punk shouldn’t have guitar solos, or that if the mic isn’t dripping in spit, you’ve missed the point. But the Buzzcocks have always lived on the more melodic, optimistic edge of the latepunk spectrum. Blending punk’s bite with the modleaning uplift of bands like The Jam. Attitude Adjustment stays true to that lineage, and honestly, I dig it.
Right, where were we? Lost myself in the moment there, which is usually a good sign. We’re nearing the halfway mark, and Heavy Streets shifts the mood just a touch. Still punchy, still upbeat, but with a darker undertone humming beneath it. Maybe those streets really were as heavy as advertised. It’s a welcome change of shade without breaking the album’s momentum.
Track 7, One of the Universe – Part One, is a curious little interlude, especially knowing Part Two is waiting a couple of tracks ahead. Short, intriguing, and acting as a tonal palate cleanser before the album takes a brief detour. That detour arrives with All Gone to War, an acoustic moment that completely shifts the texture. It’s not sonically similar, but it evokes the same emotional space as Motörhead’s 1916. That moment when a heavier band strips everything back to deliver something stark and reflective. War themes tend to get grouped together in the listener’s mind, and this track taps into that lineage. It’s a surprising moment of stillness in an otherwise upbeat record.
Another 55 seconds and we’re through One of the Universe – Part Two, fading in on a soft wahtinged guitar, then slipping away again before you can fully grasp it. I’m not sure there’s a deeper cosmic message hidden between the two parts but maybe that’s the point. Not everything needs decoding. Sometimes it’s just a vibe, a breath, a moment.
Then comes Jesus at the Wheel. The lyrics suggest you want Jesus at the wheel, which, assuming he’s a trustworthy chap, isn’t the worst idea. But let’s be honest: back in his day, car’s weren’t commonplace. And in 2026, if the Messiah was moonlighting as a driver, Uber would’ve snapped him up months ago. Musically, though, it’s another slice of that polished, melodic punk the Buzzcocks do so well.
As we roll into the final tracks, the album’s consistency reasserts itself: steady beats, bright chords, and that more polite, melodic side of punk leading the charge. It’s not the snarling, spitting chaos some might expect but it’s undeniably enjoyable. And here’s the thing: having seen the Buzzcocks tear up Margate Dreamland in summer 2025 supporting the Sex Pistols, I know firsthand that their live sound is rawer, louder, and far more feral than this record captures. But that’s not a criticism. It’s a bonus. You get the best of both worlds: on record, a sunny, melodic, windowsdown driving album; on stage, a raucous, sharpedged punk assault that slices through any festival lineup.
Attitude Adjustment might not be the punk record you expected but it’s one you’ll keep coming back to. Loud, fast, upbeat, and full of that unmistakable Buzzcocks charm. A hell of a way to kick off 2026.
Pre-order here: cherryred.co/AttitudeAdjustment
