INHEAVEN - INHEAVEN (LP) - Red Vinyl

Some debut albums arrive fully formed, like a band kicking the venue door in at 11 pm on a Friday. INHEAVEN’s self-titled record is one of those. Released on 1 September 2017, it captured the South London quartet at the moment their noisy romanticism clicked into focus, all fuzzed guitars, boy-girl vocal interplay and choruses built to ricochet off club walls.

What sets INHEAVEN apart is the chemistry between James Taylor and Chloe Little. His voice carries the rush of shoegaze and grunge, hers floats above the storm with a cool clarity, and together they strike that sweet spot where grit meets glow. The production leans into texture rather than neat polish, so guitars smear at the edges and the drums thump like they were tracked in a small room turned up too loud, which is exactly how this music should feel.

If you were watching UK indie in the mid-2010s, you probably remember the first jolt of “Regeneration”. It arrived with the kind of darker edge that drew early comparisons to the 90s underground, yet the hook was pure pop smarts. The song also has a neat bit of lore attached to it. Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records put it out in the US, which gave the band a splash of attention far beyond London basements. On the album it still sounds like a mission statement, a plea and a punch-up in the same breath.

“Bitter Town” is the heart-tugger, a bright guitar line ringing out over the churn. It has the rush of getting the last train home with your ears still buzzing. “World On Fire” takes that energy and points it outward. Written in a year heavy with political static, it moves with a clipped urgency and a chorus that sticks. “Stupid Things” softens the edges without losing bite, letting Little’s vocal sit closer to the front as the band drops into a slower sway. The record thrives on those shifts, from skyscraping noise to tender reflection, all under the same neon glow.

There is an affection here for American alt rock and British shoegaze, but INHEAVEN never feel like pastiche. The songs come at you with a youthful directness. No long intros, no fuss, just straight to the good bit. The lyrics are simple, bittersweet snapshots of small rebellions, mixed signals, suburban drift. It is the sound of being 22 and sure that music can fix everything for three minutes at a time. That feeling carries the album, and it is why it has held up better than a lot of its era’s hype acts.

Critics noticed at the time. The album drew warm write ups across the UK indie press, with NME and DIY highlighting the punch of the choruses and the sheer confidence of a first LP that plays like a greatest hits set. Fans clocked it too, turning singles into setlist shout-alongs and packing out club shows. They were a ferocious live band, and you can hear that sweat in the recordings.

On vinyl the record opens up. The low end hits a little deeper, the guitars bloom, and those overlapping vocals sit in a nice pocket. If you are hunting for INHEAVEN vinyl, this is one of those modern indie pressings that actually feels worth the turntable ritual. It sits snug next to your Smashing Pumpkins and Wolf Alice LPs. People often ask where to buy INHEAVEN records online, and the answer these days is the usual suspects, though a good Melbourne record store will sometimes surprise you with a clean copy in the new arrivals. For anyone collecting INHEAVEN albums on vinyl, the self-titled is the centrepiece, the one that tells the whole story in 40-odd minutes. And if you are browsing for vinyl records Australia wide, keep it on your list, because it does not linger long in the racks.

Part of the album’s charm is how it threads hope through the noise. Even when the songs posture against boredom or burnout, there is always a lifeline, a melody cutting through the static. That balance is hard to fake. You get the sense the band knew exactly what they wanted to sound like, and they pulled it off without second guessing. Spin it again and the hooks feel inevitable, which is usually the sign you are dealing with a keeper.

Six years on, INHEAVEN still plays like a snapshot of a scene that valued heart as much as volume. If you missed it the first time, start with “Regeneration” and “Bitter Town”, then let the rest rush in. If you did not, well, you already know why this album belongs on your shelf, preferably as INHEAVEN vinyl, where the glow is strongest and the feedback feels alive.