OG Quick Take: The Charlatans UK - We Are Love

We’re trying out a new feature here at 3A6OG HQ – OG Quick Takes. A brief, first-listen response to an album on or around its release date. Don’t worry, you’ll continue to receive our regular full-length posts. But hopefully these will hold you over in between and also give us a chance to cover albums that, for various reasons, we might not otherwise get to. It’s a work in progress, so let us know what you think in the comments.

Our first Quick Take – The Charlatans UK’s new album, We Are Love, which dropped today.

The Charlatans UK arose out of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s Madchester scene and are most famous in the States for their 1990 album Some Friendly, which contained their biggest hit and most recognizable song, “The Only One I Know.”

While the band hasn’t had much of a presence in the U.S. since Some Friendly, coming into 2025 they released a total of 13 albums and have consistently charted and maintained a huge fanbase in the U.K. Though it barely made a dent here, 1997’s Tellin’ Stories went platinum across the Atlantic, was widely acclaimed, and produced the hit single “One to Another.”

The Charlatans’ newest album, We Are Love, serves as both a reminder of the early days and a sign that the band continues to move forward. “Deeper and Deeper” contains druggy, psychedelic keyboards that transport the listener back to the early ‘90s. The title track and “Many A Day A Heartache” both have a sunny Britpop sound while “Appetite” is bass-heavy and gives off a cosmic vibe. The Charlatans experiment with their sound, adding a funky beat and saxophone on “Glad You Grabbed Me” and mixing rhythm with their psychedelia on “Kingdom of Ours.” All throughout, Tim Burgess’ vocals remain, along with the keyboard riffs, the band’s signature.

Anyone stateside with fond memories of Madchester or Britpop (but maybe was unwilling to fork over the pounds required for the Oasis reunion) should check out We Are Love and re-discover The Charlatans UK. (Brian)