As a big fan of this band back in the day, I couldn’t fathom how on earth they failed to achieve any chart success whatsoever (indie chart notwithstanding). Now, I can’t deny I was both excited and apprehensive to learn that The Man From Delmonte would be releasing a new LP this year. Would this extremely belated ‘follow-up’ (technically this is their first studio album!) to 1989’s live set Big Noise have the same impact on me as their music did when I was a wide-eyed teenager, or would it be a crushing disappointment? Please be great, please be great….
Is it great?
Well, kind of. Yes, in fact. I mean, we’re sitting here some 36 years later. This was always going to be a more “grown-up” record, right? So gone is the reckless abandon of youth that permeated tracks like the crowd-pleasing, fist-pumping ‘The Good Things In Life‘ or the exquisite jangle pop of ‘My Love Is Like A Gift You Can’t Return‘ (seriously, how was that not a top ten smash on the main chart?) but – and this is key – the charm of the band, and Mike West‘s quite wonderful lyrical prowess, not to mention his ear for a ridiculously catchy tune, are still there in spades.
Recent single ‘Believe Me‘ is testament to that – a brassy opening that gives way to something that reminds me a little of Stan Ridgway‘s solo work (another brutally underrated performer) and an absolutely lovely lyric: “Believe me. believe me, living with you is easy / compared to some things I have done / Trust me, oh trust me, I’m in love, I must be / otherwise why would I stay?“
Probably the closest we get to the ‘old school’ Man From Delmonte is the joyous Hawaiian beach sound of ‘Pink‘, the Buzzcocks-meets-Undertones thrill of ‘Monday Morning After‘ or the early Weezer vibe of ‘Every Time‘, but you know what? It doesn’t matter that this is a very different beast, because it simply oozes class anyway. That said, this set of songs is apparently made up of old and new compositions, so please, don’t flame me if I rave about a ‘new’ song that turns out to be a fan favourite; it’s been a long time since I heard them.
‘Ugly Part Of Town‘ (a spellbinding, spirited version of Mike’s own Truckstop Honeymoon song), ‘Better Things‘ and ‘Spanish Town‘ are just wonderful, gorgeous tunes (despite the latter being an incredulous observation of ‘little Englanders’ whose thinly veiled racism is proudly inflicted on everyone as ‘patriotism’ wherever they go) that, amongst others, put me in mind of the likes of Mike Cooley, Lloyd Cole, and The Go-Betweens at various points, while ‘Hey You‘ is very much a nod to the simple but highly effective love songs penned and performed by Buddy Holly, West aping him magnificently in its chorus.
Perhaps the standout though is the nostalgic ‘The International‘, harking back to the early days and painting imagery that pretty much all of us can relate to, I’m sure, as, over a choppy post-punk guitar riff, West tells us that he “had two pounds for the door and three pounds more / Sometimes Gareth let me in, but you couldn’t rely on him.” It certainly made me nostalgic for the days when a load of us used to pile down to the Princess Charlotte in Leicester (eventually just The Charlotte, now sadly long defunct) with barely a fiver to our names but still ended up having a fantastic time – just mates and music and a beer that we’d nurse all night. Good times, despite the hardship. This song really made me fondly remember – and appreciate – those formative years, and I think it’s one of the best tracks I’ve heard in 2025.
I haven’t even mentioned several of the other tracks, but honestly, they’re all great fun and you really should welcome them back with open arms. Lovely stuff.
Better Things is self-released on 14th November.
