New Wave

Remarkably unremarkable. The musical equivalent of a rich tea biscuit

There is absolutely nothing even remotely interesting, evocative or notable about this album. Nothing.

Totally uninspiring indie album. Not one memorable song on this. The sound of a band just going through the motions

It’s ok

Wow this guy cannot sing

Lacking standouts, overall okay but a bit boring. 5/10

Calling yourself the auteurs is so fucking presumptuous. And then to not even be that good is crazy. Someone else pointed out that Icky Mettle isn’t on this list and it completely wipes the floor with this album equivalent of wallpaper paste

digno digno

3.4

Es ist das Debüt, das die Band sofort als intellektuelle Außenseiter des Britpop markiert. Statt Stadion‑Hooks gibt’s messerscharfe Lyrics, kühle Eleganz und diese leicht arrogante, aber faszinierende Distanz von Luke Haines. Songs wie „Showgirl“ und „How Could I Be Wrong“ tragen eine fast literarische Präzision, während die Produktion bewusst schlank bleibt – kein Gramm Fett, nur Haltung. Das Album wirkt wie ein schwarzer Spiegel der frühen 90er: melodisch genug, um hängen zu bleiben, aber zu bissig, um sich anzubiedern. Ein stilbewusstes, scharf formuliertes Statement, das bis heute eigen bleibt.

I wanted to punch the singer in the face by the middle of the album

Hadn’t heard of them, felt excited … It was fine

It took a little for this to grow on me, but it is pretty good. This is mostly a darker sounding Brit pop/alternative rock album. But there are some unique songs and cool lyrics all across this. I will say that the vocals remind me of David Tibet, which is bonus points too. Not one I have a ton to say about, but really enjoyable, and I could definitely see how this would be influencial or important to it's scene.

I liked this way more than a lot of the other groups that have 28k listeners per month on Spotify lol. This sounded like the background music in a 90s British romcom or something

I don't share the same contempt for britpop that many of you lot seem to (then again, some people seem to take "britpop" a bit too literally and call any pop music from the UK britpop, when that is not what it is at all), but I still have a hard time defending this album's placement on the list. Being a genre that was so short lived, there's very little of it that has actually stood the test of time. And this is not one of them, I really have nothing bad to say about this, but it wasn't at all interesting enough for me to have anything good to say about it either. Just one of those albums that makes you think "yeah, I did just listened to that. Anyway, I'm going to get on with my day now." I can't bring myself to score it any lower because it wasn't actively unpleasant to listen to, but music (or art of any medium for that matter) that leaves you feeling nothing is completely missing the entire point of what it should achieve.

I can’t really remember much of this album but didn’t mind it while it was on.

Enjoyed this. High 3

eh, got kinda bored halfway through.

Is similar to the beatles, i enjoy listening it, there are some interesting and creative things.

This record feels a bit too much like a Halloween costume the band is trying to wear than something that they believe in.

I was aware of Luke Haines, and I'm pretty sure I'd heard some Auteurs before now, but coming to this cold, I was prepared to dismiss it as just another 90s guitar-based album which I've heard dozens of without engaging. Well, I was wrong. This is a genuine delight. Sure, it doesn't break any boundaries, but it takes a well-worn formula and wrings proper songs and glorious melodies out of it, and invents Britpop before that was a twinkle in a marketing department's eye. It's going on the 'I need to own a copy' list.

A band name like "the Auteurs" is bound to put me in a miserable mood. You'd need to be aggressively undermining the pretention in your music to avoid me hating you. This is not quite there, but does just enough to avoid a disgraceful rating.

I had the overwhelming feeling of “not quite” when listening to this. On the surface, it was very similar to bands I love, but something was definitely missing. Maybe that something was just early exposure at a different stage of life? Regardless, the album was like one of those humanoid robots that lie in the uncanny valley between cute and human. The kind you want to smash to pieces with a hammer.

Fun beats, but boring album

Det er jo ikke decideret dårligt. Men det er fandme kedeligt og siger mig intet. Og hans stemme er en anelse irriterende.

En helt vildt ligegyldig omgang britpop. Hvis brit-bias ikke var tydeligt allerede, så bliver det mere og mere tydeligt 1.9

Anders og Rasmus har allerede sagt det, der skal siges om dette album

Shoe gazing but without the interesting lyrics or tunes of the sundays. More known for his outspoken views than his songs. Passable not memorable

Not bad, but kinda boring and not very memorable. 2.5/5

This might have been okay with a good singer, but Jesus Christ.

Meh

very strange...

New Wave is a superb debut that occupies an unusual place in British guitar music. It has the melodic craft of classic pop, the literate sharpness of the best alternative rock, and a worldview that is considerably darker than its catchy arrangements initially suggest. Luke Haines is the album's great asset. He understands that social pretension is often funniest when it is also sad, that glamour can conceal desperation, and that the people most convinced of their own sophistication can be the least self-aware. The band's arrangements give those observations a musical elegance that prevents the record from becoming merely a collection of sneering lyrics. But I wouldn't call it a flawless masterpiece. Some songs are stronger in concept than in execution, and the album's emotional reserve occasionally makes its characters feel like objects of observation rather than people we come to care about.

In my opinion, The Auteurs' New Wave is a much better album than the reviews on this site would suggest. I hadn't listened to the record in its entirety for years, but after a long break, I realized it has more excellent guitar pop songs than I even remembered. Strong four stars.

I enjoy this well enough when listening through, but it’s quite forgettable right after I finish.. overall 3/5

It’s mid. So one is the better Britpop albums on here.

Stop it with all this British Alternative. Stop it! Stop it!

Is it New Wave? Yes. Is it worth listening to twice? No.

Another 1001 head-scratcher. It’s generic Britpop as far as I can tell. I got bored, couldn’t finish, but it’s not offensive enough to earn a 1.

I like it, but I'm not crazy about it.

Aldri hørt om, men likte dette veldig godt! Fin indie rock som ligger et sted mellom slacker rock og jangle pop. Nedstrippet og litt lavmælt. Eneste måten dette er britpop på er om det eneste kravet for sjangeren var å være britisk og spille gitar på starten av 90-tallet.

Muito legal o álbum e tal, mas entre os mil e poucos melhores álbuns de todos os tempos? Puta exagero, apesar de ser um disco bem legal, porém menos né? Bem menos.

Based on the vitriol in the reviews I was expecting something much worse. It was solidly fine and a pleasant background listen while I was working. I probably won't come back to it but I definitely didn't hate it or anything.

Good, nothing wrong with it, but surely not the most interesting in the book.

Lovely, mellow, 90s - reminds me of another band I like, but I can't remember who

Blandat, vissa bra vissa sämre

This is a 3.5 to 4 stars for me, but I feel like I'm particularly targeted by The Auteurs. Their laid back glam sound, combined with the 80's to 90's brit rock sound - and then a little bit of what could maybe be called slowcore (similar to a Mercury Rev) - is just a combination I love, and I have been fan of this band for a long time. I feel they never have gotten the attention they deserve and are often forgotten. However, I think they are a gem from the 90's brit rock era.

I didnt go to art school Or take a degree in existential philosophy So take your badly sung navel-gazing bollocks, and just fuck right off

The Auteurs answer a question no one dared to ask: what if Oasis was bad?

Decent enough alt rock. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 2. Sometimes, you can just hear when an album doesn’t have ‘it’. It’s not exactly intangible, as there’s usually consistent reasons to it; middling instrumentals, lyrics, or vocals are among them. That said, the biggest thing an album should successfully do regardless of innate quality is find a way to connect to its listener. I’ve heard cacophonies that I’ve given higher ratings than this, just because they found ways to make connections. When an album can’t do that, it just doesn’t have ‘it’. This album really does not have ‘it’, at least for me. It’s not in the instrumentals; those are generally alright & even good. It is, however, in the lyrics & vocals. It might be Joni Mitchell’s vivid vulnerability & dulcet vocal tones lingering in my mind from yesterday, but the difference is just so striking. Her lyrical style, however conversational & rambly it may feel at times, maintains a cohesion that emphasizes her storytelling. The Auteurs, despite their translated names, do not strike me as very good authors. They can use words, sure, but their ramblings feel like flexing a dictionary for the sake of it. They are practically saying nothing. There’s a pretentious air to the whole thing that isn’t helped by Luke Haines’ vocal stylings giving me absolutely nothing to work with. He sounds like a man who’s convinced he’s right without contemplation & reflection, including a rather snobby take on ‘junk shop clothes’ that left me with a general disdain for the guy that I couldn’t really shake off. Hell, there’s a song here titled “How Could I Be Wrong”. My frustration is that a lot of these tracks are close to being something. There’s just an intense mismatch in intent vs delivery here; you can be the know-it-all auteur giving insights on the world if you sell everything with conviction & provide a lyrical purpose for everything. It’s just not there – take a track like “Idiot Brother”, escalating quickly from two morons being like a pair of dumb dogs to “I want to kill your sister” a few verses later. “Valet Parking” seems to be about wanting to get revenge on this rich guy for making a valet’s life hell, but we’re given no reason to actually hate that rich guy or see the reasons why the valet’s life is hell. The lack of songwriting talent just kills a lot of these tracks despite decent instrumentals & decent vocal performances throughout. I have no conviction to care about almost all of the tracks on this album, and since it’s just not making me feel anything, I’m not sure I can go any higher than a 2. I don’t know how this made the list, other than documenting a very loose proto-Britpop style that Suede did significantly better. The only reason I’m not at a 1, despite myself, is because a good number of tracks kept me hooked in for part of the time, even if they flamed out later or just stayed utterly mediocre. If it were a truly bad album with no redeeming tracks on it & absolutely nothing to grab onto, I’d be at a 1. It’s not there. This does just enough to competently linger. It is, however, a 2. It’s not an album I needed to hear before I die. Thank goodness this wasn’t our 1,000th album.

Better than all the New Wave that usually made the list 6/10

This didn’t stand out me at first, but by the end, I was getting Destroyer vibes. I may need to check back into this.

Very strong album. Enjoyed all the way through. Didn’t had much expectations but turns out it’s a strong 3. Hell, it’s a 4.

Got halfway through and tapped out. Hated everything about it. Ugh.

So twee and uninspired. Trying to be The Beatles/Donovan/early Bowie? IDK and I don't care. 2 stars for not being totally hateful. Rating might go down on further listening.

Garbage, I’m really questioning why I chose to do this

Utter garbage. Don’t know if it was because I have read Luke Haines book and he is an absolute wet wipe or if it is the music I hate. Appreciate it could have been recorded three weeks ago but I’d still think it was dog shit.

This is very much background music. You cannot actually sit down and listen to it because your mind will start to wander and after 15 minutes you will realise that you forgot to proces the music coming into your ears. But if you have a task at hand, then maybe you will listen for more than three seconds. Maybe. Considering the quality of this album, the name is quite ironic.

Bland britpop, but at least a handful of songs have their own earworms and hooks.

This falls under the umbrella of samey British 90s/00s fluff… but I don’t mind it

Pretty decent indie/britpop record. A few good songs, nothing really standout and it does sound like a lot of other bands around this era. Still fairly enjoyable on the whole though.

Helaas was de Britpop trein al vertrokken uit het station.

Geneuzel

If for some reason I had to convince a jury that the guy who put this list together was British, the inclusion of this album would be Exhibit A. Goes from inofensive, just kind of boring to actively annoying by the end.

Luke Haines was the sour lemon of Britpop, couldn't mistake the era this album is from, sounds exactly like how you would expect a mid 90s English indie band to. Weak enough vocally so he's an acquired taste in that respect, songs are fine but there's just not enough that stick out with a big chorus or huge hooky part that's unique and memorable. Would stick this on no problem, it's an easy and decent listen to be fair, the lyrics aren't as "smart" as they are trying to be but there's nothing absolutely terrible here either. 5/10

Sounds like when people try to claim they have an previously uncovered recording of John Lennon, but its just a shite hoax.

It's an album. I dunno I didn't really get anything from this one. There are a couple of songs I think I would have liked if I had heard this a while back (namely American Guitars and Home Again), but now it's just... there. I think I'm also not a fan of the secret song on the album thing anymore, it mostly just seems to run up the clock. Whole album gives big "don't know why it's on the list" vibes.

What? So they’re just like, less fun the smiths or something? No wonder their career was so short.

Really liked this easy and nice to listen too

Favorite Tracks: Junk Shop Clothes, Starstruck, How Can I Be Wrong, Home Again and Show Girl Pretty good album 4/5

Love

Album 317. New Wave (https://open.spotify.com/album/7dJLDJkGND4ovSCRL4r4bk?si=GnNm8x4fRfCgsb8vY-WC6g) — The Auteurs (1993) It's been so long without britpop that I've already missed it! I would've never believed myself if I'd said to myself that I'll miss britpop. Maybe I'm getting closer to the edge and madness or maybe it's because today I had morning coffee not a cup of tea. I don't like it in general, but this album feels fine, the guitar is awesome and I get so high from the album right now. Unbelievable I'm trying rn so hard to give it an unprejudiced rating 3/5 No liked songs

Jeff ahh music 2/5

This seems like a band/album that is just a few degrees from something I'd normally love, but I just couldn't get into it.

Jamais écouté avant. Top : American Guitars Flop : Junk Shop Clothes

Just… sound. It’s whatever.

This album was delightful. I like songs about “stuff” like bowling and thrift shopping. Feels influenced by the kinks an all time favorite of mine.

There is definitely something to like on this album, but the interest grabbing riffs or melodies are so few and far between that overall it doesn’t feel rewarding to listen to. Glad I heard it, not looking to hear it again.

Not even close what I expected seeing the cover. And also not my jam, too whiny and all in all very simsilar to itself.

No gracias. I found the singer nasally and unpleasant. The pace seemed tranquilized.

I would be impressed if one of my buddies put out this album. Unfortunately it's on this list. Why

Eh

“They kind of have a Beatles vibe” “Yeah because they’re British and mellow” Fineeee, a bit of a snore, but a fine backdrop for a sunset walk through Golden Gardens

not terrible.

I haven’t heard the Auteurs’ music at all. They are an indie band so looking forward to it. The album cover is pretty neat. The vocals are excellent. The music is guitar oriented, acoustic and electric. There is a lot of melody in their music which is much appreciated. The songwriting is very good. Most of the songs aren’t that long. There are a number of very good songs on this album: Don’t trust the stars, Starstruck, Housebreaker and Home again. This album was a pleasure to listen to. This is a very good album. Four stars.

What a nice treat, i enjoyed this from front to back. This really sounds like gold 2000s indie, so kudos on their trailblazing. 4.5 rounded up for being a surpise

If you’re going to call yourself “The Auteurs” we as an audience know you’re going to be pretentious and think too highly of yourself. I think the question here is does that set you up for failure or is there a segment of the audience that will think of it as a joke and will want to be in on it. I’m not sure which camp I’m in, but I liked it more than Oasis.

Interesting, definitely something that grew on me. Flamboyant in that sort of British glam rock way. Whole concept was interesting but nothing super standout instrument wise. Strong 3/weak 4

N2l

Boring. 2.5/5

Was really excited for this one - I used to work with someone who was a huge fan. Turns out it's way too repetitive (nearly every chorus is just the title repeated over and over) for me. Not a terrible album, but for me nothing all that special either. 2 1/2 stars

This really isn't New Wave ...

Yeah, I like Suede too, guys. There are certain bands that have ideas, but no tunes. This is one of those bands. You either have to be worse or better for this to work. You can't be this much in the middle of the pack lyrically, harmonically, rhythmically, and melodically and expect to turn many heads. "Don't Trust the Stars" is the first song with anything resembling a hook. Hopefully not the last? "How Could I Be Wrong?" has a nice slinkiness to it.... out of context this song could really work. Sandwiched in the middle of all this white bread, however, the flavor gets lost. Man. This album gives Britpop a bad name. "I'm sick of parking cars" yeah I'm sick of listening to this album. TWO STARS

The desire to appear intelligent is a sickness. A sickness that makes perfectly reasonable (and potentially even bright) young men drape sheets around their heads, grow a pencil moustache, and use the snapped evidence of this day it for the cover of your band (called the Auteurs) latest record. Why is it that we yearn for acceptance in this way. There are thousands of people cheering loudly at demolition derbies or wearing Donald Trump AI t-shirts from Temu who clearly don't care. There are genuine super geniuses who know 65,000 variations of every chess opening who aren't pretentious and gladly flaunt their unbothered, unpretentiousness in YouTube clips or in awkward interviews. With those ends of the spectrum clearly so non-plussed with appearances, why is it that there is a subset of people (typically veering towards average intelligence) so obsessed with this veneer? Something about a meticulously crafted "aloof" personality appeals to people. This is why being "dumb" has become a dirty word. Everybody wants to be the smartest guy in the room, despite that almost never being the case for most people. With those questions pondered (as much pondering as this dumb guy can muster) we have the insufferably named "Auteurs" with "New Wave." An album that, according to good old Wikipedia, was referred to as a "university thesis on how to build Brit-pop." That sounds fun, right? Well, it actually isn't as bad as you think. Sure, you wouldn't want to hang out with these guys, and no, your eyes will not escape the lyrics sheet unrolled, but what you have here is a nice little record that is a pretty solid artistic statement. Very listenable record that dares to go beyond the surface of your workaday Britpop release. See?? I can like things that I want to hate. 3 HIGHLIGHTS: Do you think the Ramada will let me keep these drapes, I look FIERCE.

A couple nice moments, but not my thing.

I don’t understand, why is this on the list? This was super boring and a waste of 45 minutes. I had never heard of them before and I understand why. Very boring D grade Brit pop…there’s so many better albums from this time that deserve your attention.

When the first track “Show Girl” began, I nodded my head along to it. Yep, this is perfectly representative 1993 Britpop Glam, I see why this is here on the list. But as the album went on, it became increasingly hard to listen to. The singer has no vocal range and does the same thing on each song. The drumming is insipid. There are no hooks. For an album inspired by glam, there is no flash; no fun. What a slog to get through.

like a 2.5, i didnt like his voice

31/08/2026 I listened to it and cannot remember a single thing about it, therefore not a great album. Spotify listeners: 30.7k