Del Amitri - The Most Underrated Band Of All-Time

I'd like to take a moment to tell you all a little bit about my favorite band in the world, that no one's ever heard of- Del Amitri. That statement may be a slight exaggeration, but it's to the point that they are a criminally underrated band, who still haven't gotten the credit they deserve. They got their start in Glasgow, Scotland in 1980, and released their heartfelt and unassuming self-titled debut in 1985. Before the release of their debut, they opened for several popular bands of the time, including post-punk / indie legends the Smiths one year prior. Since then they have released six studio albums, broken up and reunited, and dipped their toes into countless sub-genres of rock music, executing each one flawlessly. From their debut of folk-tinged post-punk, to several other releases combining the perfect mixture of folk-rock, alternative rock, and pop-rock- it's safe to say these boys have damn near done it all. But thankfully, they're not done yet! After a what has felt like a lifetime of a hiatus (their last studio record being released in 2002) they just announced at the end of March 2020, that they've just finished recording their new album...And with plans of touring in 2021!

Ticket stub for the Smiths show in 1984, at the Eden Court Theatre in Scotland, where Del Amitri opened...
Notice their name absent from the ticket stub. 

As a lifelong Del Amitri fan, this is some of the most exciting news I could ever hear. I've already been fortunate enough to see my other two favorite bands (Depeche Mode and The Church) live, and seeing the Dels would complete my holy trinity. So, now that I've explained a bit about the band and their career thus far, let me tell you just how significant a role Del Amitri have played in my life, from early childhood, 'till today and probably the rest of my life.

I was first introduced to Del Amitri by my parents playing their 1995 album Twisted on repeat for pretty much my entire upbringing. Every road trip, every neighborhood get-together- you better believe that CD was in the player. I have to thank my parents a lot for that (and for countless other great, niche artists they raised me with). Because without them, it might have taken me much longer to find the beauty and sincerity that is within Del Amitri's music. And that's because, for some god-forsaken reason- nobody talks about them! Or plays them! That being aside from my trusted favorite, local Chicago alternative rock station, 93.1 XRT, who has given them their sole spotlight in commercial radio since their inception. But other than that, Del Amitri are a hard band to find anywhere. The most you might get is hearing their (pretty overplayed) hit single off of Twisted, "Roll To Me" at your local grocery store, or on a "90's nostalgia" Pandora station or something. But that is not the singular thing they should be known for.

What they should be known for is singer and lyricist Justin Currie's stunning and masterful songwriting. Not only can the man write a damn good pop song (see "Roll To Me" again), but he manages to also write some of the deepest, most genuine and poetic lyrics I have ever heard. He sings mostly of love and loss- the traditional themes you'd expect from most every person who's ever written a song. But he does so in a manner that is totally unique to him. His depictions of love are unfiltered, yet refined and beautiful. He doesn't bother with cliches or vapid, overdone ways of expressing what it's like to be in love. There is something so real and so personal about his words- yet it's something that all of us can relate to. His words have made me blush, swoon, and fall in love again and again for as long as I can remember.

Take my favorite song by them, "Tell Her This", for example: On a first listen, without paying full attention, you might just see it as a straightforward love song. But it's not as perfect and sweet as it sounds. It is a desperate plea to the woman he loves, to stay with him, despite his acknowledged flaws and mistakes. "Tell her something in my mind freezes up from time to time" bookends the song with a vague description, that still says so much about what he believes is wrong with himself. But at the same time, the pure charm that is in the line, "Tell her something in my heart needs her more than even clowns need the laughter of the crowd", steals our hearts, and makes us want him again (because we know what that struggle feels like!). And that's just one example of Del Amitri's entire catalogue of brilliant and moving song lyrics.

So I hereby invite all of you to give Del Amitri a listen for yourself, if you haven't already! You could seriously start anywhere in their discography. But if you'd like to first experience them the same way I did, then I recommend starting with a full listen-through of Twisted. You can find it on Spotify, YouTube, or I can even burn you a CD copy if I know you in real life. I can damn near promise that you won't be disappointed- as long as you have good taste!

Del Amitri in 1989, posing for the cover of their "Move Away Jimmy Blue" single