Dublin’s Inhaler are one of the most exciting bands to emerge over the past few years and It Won’t Always Be Like This lives up to their thrilling potential. Singer and guitarist Eli Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson, and drummer Ryan McMahon have made a record that captures their evolution from exciting upstarts to refined songsmiths. It takes in a dazzling array of sonic textures, where huge, hooky choruses perfectly meld with intricate, dynamic instrumentation.
A Covid-enforced delay encouraged the four-piece to find new levels as a band, opening up both their sound and their lyrical themes. Songs about meeting girls turned into reflections on society and how to get through tough periods. “We started writing this when we were teenagers and now we’re adults,” says Keating. “I wanted the songs to feel positive,” adds Hewson. “Because… it won’t always be like this.”
The album shares its title with one of the group’s early singles – a storming, exhilarating singalong of the sort that has become their calling card. But its meaning has changed for the band over the past year, becoming something more hopeful in uncertain times. “There’s a sense of optimism on this album and the song It Won’t Always Be Like This is the main catalyst for that,” says Hewson. “We kept coming back to that title.”
Recorded with long-term collaborator and producer Antony Genn at London’s Narcissus Studios, it’s a coming-of-age record about losing yourself and finding yourself again, trying to make sense of the world when the world doesn’t make much sense. It charts a path of sonic exploration, from the sweeping urgency of the title track and My Honest Face to the lush synth-pop of Slide Out The Window to the lithe, space-y grooves of A Night On The Floor. It is a debut of depth and colour.
Inhaler have made all their early promise count. It Won’t Always Be Like This is a triumph.
It Won’t Always Be Like This is available now on all streaming providers, and is available in an EXCLUSIVE Green Vinyl, available only here in Ireland.