It is unfortunate that congratulations share their name with one of the most irritating songs of all time, Cliff Richard’s 1968 Eurovision entry, the type of lowest common denominator earworm with which the competition used to be synonymous. Fortunately, while the Brighton-based band are defiantly pop, the ten songs that comprise their first album are jam-packed with ideas and energy. It is a gleeful hyperpop that reflects the wildly disparate influences each of the four members bring to the group: guitarist Jamie Chellar has a soul-funk background, vocalist Leah Stanhope was previously in metal bands, drummer James Gillinghan is a fan of contemporary pop and bassist Greg Burns is perceived as a Beach Boy surfer dude type.
Consequently, each track on ‘Join Hands’ is a steaming cauldron of exciting sounds with more hooks than England cricketers in Australia, albeit executed far more successfully. It is music that is not afraid to place fun firmly at the top of its agenda. The sound has a joyous spontaneity to it even though the reality is hours spent in the studio both revelling in freedom but also crafting ways of ensuring that the disparate influences are merged into cohesive tracks.
These qualities are evident from the outset. Resistant to spelling, ‘Nevagonna’ kicks off with a mysterious drone before launching into a dancefloor filler of snaking electronics, booming bass and drums together with an insistent chorus that manages to sound life-affirming in spite of its sentiments (“nevagonna be amazed / nevagonna be your saving grace.”) Standing at the intersection between glam, Devo and Prince, ‘Fought 4 Love’ is an anti-love song, not in a negative way but as a celebration of moving on and being able to enjoy your own company. From its opening monstrous riff to its heavy but funky bass and synth flourishes alongside another big chorus, it is a fantastic track with extra momentum gained from the moments where it briefly stops and then leaps back in ever more triumphantly. It contains the instruction “keep your hair on” which leads nicely into the following ‘My Hair’. The super-fast, neo-prog guitar is reminiscent of their Bella Union labelmates Pom Poko, albeit with a superior ear for melody, while they confront dull routine lives (“don’t you want more / work 9 to 5 then you’re dead… you wait for the weekend / blow all your beans in one go.”)
‘This Life’ could be a condensed take on the best bits of mid-80s pop music. There is a distinct perfume of Prince to its funky guitar licks, alongside sublimely ridiculous synth bass promenades and explosive noise while they channel their inner Madonna for the verse. “Can’t rest, I hate standing still” is the lyric that captures their ethos. Unconnected to the Thompson Twins song of the same but slightly differently spelt name, ‘Dr Doctor’ is tightly structured chaos, its heavy bass sound coming from a boat horn sample chopped and pitched to match a break beat sample. It is interspersed with dementedly energetic funk guitar, swinging sax courtesy of Eve Morris and chanted vocals. Stretching further into absurdity, ‘Jonny Hands’ is all mutated sounds and explosions, even the vocals are treated and warped. The lyrics are in part inspired by the sun in The Teletubbies – “the sun came out tonight and sang me a pretty song / thank you sun, thank you, have you been awake long / the melody was terrific / sang in perfect tone.” Ironically, it is the track with least claim to containing perfect pop elements.
‘City Boy’ is a boisterous mash up of rock riffs, funky guitar fills and disco beats. The chorus vocals with Stanhope and Chellar singing together on the same take, double tracked is powerful despite the ludicrous addition to their hair obsession, “my hair is long / my ass is free.” That momentum is increased with ‘I Feel Severe’, musically the heaviest track with lots of crunchy riffs making for an industrial / glam / boogie crossover. On the penultimate track, ‘Bubbles’, the pace finally slackens but offers a pointer to developments that could enhance future congratulations albums. It makes use of sampled Bollywood strings and a wheezy Hammond organ while the chorus in both words and vocal melody (“love in vain / how can a thing so wondrous / bring such pain?”) delivers a melancholy that adds to their emotional palette. Initially, it seems as if ‘Hollywood Swingers’ is going to close the album in similarly restrained mood, the emphasis on strings and harmonies until some massively loud and complex guitar disrupts the mood, indicative of how congratulations rarely allow themselves to settle on one idea for an entire song.
‘Join Hands’ is an absolute blast, 37 minutes of concentrated energy. It is a colourful record, full of manic creativity, carefully crafted to be the musical equivalent of swallowing a bag full of sweets and leaping around without inhibition. The debut release from congratulations is a total cause for jubilation.
congratulations: Join Hands – Out 13 February 2026 (Bella Union)
– This Life (Official Music Video)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
