Basht. "Poor Advice" Album Review
Magda Kanecka | October 2026
After a series of pre-release singles from the record, the Dublin-based five-piece Basht. released their highly anticipated debut album, “Poor Advice”, on October 9, 2026.
The band’s sound blends alternative rock with post-punk on the ten-track LP, never shying away from having politics-centred conversations. “Poor Advice” is a strong introduction to the band for new fans and a great musical continuation for those already tuned in.
The album opens on a slower note with “Dive”, where the guitar-led melody carries the song through the lyrics, leaving the listener with a dreamy soundscape that unveils the tracklist.
This then leads us to “Perfume”, one of the more direct tracks on the record. It talks about neglect in a relationship, comparing it to flowers that bloomed at the beginning, but have now died. The bridge is particularly noteworthy here, where the slow repetition of the line “Can’t hide the scent of turpentine in cheap perfume” carries the essence of the song before it dives into the final chorus.
On “Keira Knightley”, the band name-drops the British rom-com actress known for her roles in movies like Pride & Prejudice (2005) or Atonement (2007). Released along with the album announcement on June 19, 2026, vocalist and guitarist Jack Leavey described the song as being about the desperate lengths people go to in order to save a failing relationship. The line “Ring your bell like Keira Knightley” is a further reference to her role in the Christmas classic Love, Actually (2003).
The next track, “Terror TV”, takes the sound and message up a notch. Descriptions of “mass panic on the radio” and “Fight fire with fire first to put it out” speak directly of global conflict we watch unfold through mainstream (social) media. This is accompanied by muffled, almost echoing vocals and a sped-up instrumental tempo, while maintaining a classic post-punk sound.
My favourite track on the record is most definitely “Superchurch”, which is one of the quieter notes on the LP, but it is not your standard acoustic song. The guitar strings linger in a much more intentional way as the lyrics describe escaping a life surrounded by religion.
The Christian imagery in the lyrics, along with the uniquely emotional vocals, makes “Superchurch” one of the album's definitive highlights for me.
Yet, I was most intrigued by “Vermilion Reptilian” when I first saw the tracklist. Unsure of what I expected, I was met with one of the strongest notes on Basht.’s debut album. The lyrics describe an outcast, likely someone excluded from day-to-day society, but it is the instrumental that carries this song for me. The bass adds a layer of depth to the vocals that build up towards the bridge, after which the guitars and drums take over, in true post-punk fashion.
Leaning into the second half of the album, “Circadia” is a chaotic staple among the record’s tracklist. The drums executed by Ryan McClelland at the beginning of the track would undeniably form an excellent lead-up to a live show; meanwhile, the lyrics remain confrontational and highly critical of systems of power – “Son and daughters, mums and fathers / Little by little, lead their lambs off to the slaughter”.
The chaos of “Circadia” is immediately shut off by “Moth”, a uniquely intimate note as the album draws to a close. The vocals switch between themes of love and uncertainty, with Jack Leavey singing “I just want you to mean it when you say you do” in the pre-chorus, later contrasting it with “Nothing scares me like you” in the chorus, as if to say the intensity of love he feels is scary to him.
Conveniently also the longest track on the album, “Moth” is a close second favourite of mine, and is a track I have been coming back to since my first listen of the album.
“Kids Vs Guns”, in frontman Leavey’s words, is the track the band is most proud of from the record, born from an original poem. On it, the band yet again confronts political conflict, particularly that in the Middle East, and the impact of wars on children.
In its sound, the vocals reflect both anger and disappointment, with the chorus forming the highlight of the song. While the verses are quieter in comparison, the message is no less important, and no less well-executed in the Stone Roses-esque guitar layering.
Wrapping up the album is the title track, “Poor Advice”, which, contrary to the name, closes the debut on a more positive note: “In the darkest hour / There’s a flicker of a light / I know it’s not yet blinding / But it’ll get us through the night.” It is an appropriately placed moment of hope after an album full of heavy and politically charged topics.
“Poor Advice” is a record that builds as it goes, taking its time when it needs to while keeping the listener engaged throughout. It is this, along with a clean execution and smooth production, that makes Basht. stand out as a band.
I am excited to see where the next few months take the band, and if this record is any indication of the direction they are heading, I am certain things are looking great for them.
Follow Basht. here!
Listen to “Poor Advice” here!
