The Lathums - “Fight On”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Catfish & the Bottlemen, Biffy Clyro, The Lumineers

Infectious pop-rock with a distinct UK tilt, The Lathums are tight and explosive across their debut full-length How Beautiful Life Can Be, crafting hook-filled tracks with fresh vibrancy. Drawing a line from new-wave rock to 00s anthemic pop, The Lathums sound is upbeat and hopeful, sweetly confident without overdoing it. They cover a ton of ground on How Beautiful Life Can Be without losing focus including the surf-rock sunniness of the title track, acoustic swinger “The Great Escape”, and classic indie rock vibed “Circles of Faith”. Committed and powered through strong, pointed lyricism, The Lathums find folk-rock and country moments on a few tracks on How Beautiful Life Can Be that sounds as authentic as their arena-ready rock songs. SXSW 2022 could be one of the last times to see The Lathums in a small venue given the bigness and accessibility of their debut LP and consistency leading to whatever may be coming next. (Kevin McStravick)