Album Review: The Rifles- Love Your Neighbor

Out of that mid-aughts explosion of the (mostly British) “the” bands, the Rifles were one of my absolute favorites. Sitting aside in most critics minds with The Kooks, The Cribs, The Zutons, The Fratellis, The Wombats, The Rakes, The Ordinary Boys and the Libertines and the not “the” bands Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys and Maximo Park

On one hand, the band wore their influences on their sleeves like a few others- the Jam, the Kinks and the Buzzcocks. On the other hand, 2006s Ian Broudie produced debut album No Love Lost is a truly great album. Then of note, the follow up 2009s Great Escape was nearly as good. No sophomore slump there. 

The Rifles released three more albums in 2011, 2014 and 2016, and although I found the Magic gone, they all continued to chart in the UK. While so many bands fade away, the Rifles kept busy- an Unplugged album in 2017, a live album in 2020, and in 2023, frontman Joel Stoker released his solo debut. 

While a solo debut disc generally means curtains, in this case, it just seemed to create more buzz for the band and an upcoming album. 

 2024s Love Your Neighbor shows that the Rifles can still sound vital. Although I wouldn't personally rank it with their first two albums, I am shocked at how well it captures their sound and would imagine it would grab new listeners in a way most band's sixth albums could. They have evolved over the years more from that initial Jam sound to a more mature Kinks/Madness sound that is evident here. 

It is like those recent Madness albums - a “keep your chin up, every thing's going to be alright” album. Such bands have remained “Cult” in America and it's a shame the Rifles likely won't get played on American alternative radio or even something like Sirius XM's Pop Rocks channel as they have a great radio sound here.