Adult Leisure – The Things You Don’t Know Yet

Indie Pop | Synth Pop | Post Punk

88%

 

Usually by this point in time, I have a pretty clear idea of what my album of the year is going to be. There’ll be some record I’ve found myself obsessing over, recommending it to anyone I can whenever the opportunity arises. For whatever reason, I’ve struggled to find records like that in 2025. Maybe I’ve lost my touch, and that’s why the big buzzworthy releases other people have been hyping up have failed to excite me. Perhaps it’s not me at all, and 2025 has just been a bit of an off year. Or perhaps, subconsciously, all this just feels trivial in the face of everything else going on in the world recently. Unto that dour corner of brain I would say that we need light in our lives most when the world is at its darkest. Maybe I’ve just been struggling to find albums that deliver the one thing I’ve been craving most of all: joy. I’ve been starved of records that offer some joyous oasis, just pure uncomplicated fun, compelling me to shut out the world and dance around my kitchen with reckless abandon. 

Pressing play on The Things You Don’t Know Yet, the debut record from Bristol based quartet Adult Leisure, delivered just the shot in the arm I needed. The stellar opening track ‘Hold Me Close (Before You Go)’ lured me in immediately with its upbeat 80s melodies and racing bassline, all leading into a chorus that just hit me like a jolt of electricity. Not to mention the clarity of the production; how dynamic and animated it all feels. Had this dropped a few months earlier I would’ve had no hesitation naming it song of the summer. It sets both the energy level, and the bar for quality, immensely high for the album that follows, and Adult Leisure manage to ride that high for the duration. 

The effervescent sax adorned splendour of ‘Boy Grows Old’ and ‘See Her’ bring a lot of Bleachers energy to the table, with the latter also sporting vocals reminiscent of Peter Gabriel in places. Meanwhile ‘Kids Like Us’ pairs playful hints of The 1975 with just a dash of Tango in the Night era Fleetwood Mac. The album’s centrepiece ‘Kiss Me You Like Miss Her’ throws out a curious curveball by embracing a darker post punk approach. Its grittier spoken word verses could easily have felt too out of place, but this change of tone and pace actually gives the track’s more melodic chorus just the contrasting kick it needed. The groove on ‘The Rules’ has a magnetism to it that pulls you along for the ride, ‘Heartbreaker’ is home to some of the record’s most charming guitar work, while the opening 30 seconds of ‘Borderline’ has all the crispness and vibrancy of an 80s Rush record.

One thing ‘Borderline’ could have used a tad more of however is diction. I’m not always fully convinced I’m actually hearing the words “borderline crying” in the chorus, but given the track’s infectious energy I’ll let it slide. My only other slight sticking point is the stripped back closing track ‘The River’. Ending a record on a bittersweet and introspective note is a time honoured tradition, but I’m in two minds as to whether ‘The River’ is able to deliver on that promise. The vocal effects don’t work for me, but the soft mournful brass is a sublime touch; which aspect I value higher currently changes from listen to listen. It likely doesn’t help that such a stark change in atmosphere follows straight after one of the album’s most energetic offerings. ‘Dancing Don’t Feel Right’ gives the opener a real run for its money in the fight for album highlight, delivering another electrifying hook alongside shimmering synths, propulsive bass and earworm riffs. 

Considering the presence of track names like ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘Dancing Don’t Feel Right’, The Things You Don’t Know Yet feels spirited and energizing at nearly every turn. I love how Adult Leisure are able to channel pain into something that feels so uplifting and full of lust for life. Listening to this record feels like a friend dragging you out for the night to paint the town red, and forget all your troubles, after you’ve both had a shitty day at work. The animated arrangements, full of melodic synth work, revitalising rhythms and anthemic hooks, feel almost defiantly joyful. Have I found my album of the year? That’s one thing I don’t know yet. These last few months of 2025 are stacked for new releases, who knows what records are waiting to burst out of the blue and wow me the way this one did. One thing I do know for sure however is that The Things You Don’t Know Yet is every bit the record I’ve been craving. Precisely the kind of addictive, uplifting spark that this year so desperately needed.