Other Half - Dark Ageism

Norwich’s Other Half have been a mainstay of the UK DIY punk circuit for more years than they’d like to admit, puzzling audiences with a combination of caustic Dischord-style post-hardcore, sneering indie rock and tongue-in-cheek classic rock tropes, all tied together with vivid, slice-of-life lyricism.

Other Half’s third album, Dark Ageism, is the culmination of a three-part saga that no one really knew existed, following 2020’s Big Twenty (Venn Records) and 2022’s Soft Action (Big Scary Monsters). It finds its characters negotiating what it means to be in their 30’s and still doing the same things they were doing as teenagers. Their own personal dark age, where the only things that seems to change is the price of a pint, and how much cosmic debt they’ve accrued over all the years of ruinous shit.

The album features guest vocals by people the band considers truly formative to what they do, with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf/Minor Alps and Alexei Berrow of Johnny Foreigner both lending their voices to characters across the record.

Dark Ageism finds Other Half at their most harmonically arresting, bolstering their smash-yr-nose-in punk squall with more expansive moments; spindly melodies, spoken-word meanders and knotty instrumentation. Or, it’s a carbon copy of the last two, depending on your outlook. Other Half’s dark age continues.