SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRANK TURNER – UNDEFEATED

FRANK TURNER
UNDEFEATED
XTRA MILE RECORDINGS

Frank Turner is famously prolific. This is now his tenth studio album, and it’s a defiant and typically sing-a-long howl from Turner, particularly on songs like the opener “Do One”, but perhaps best exemplified by “No Thank You For The Music” which mixes his musings on the musical scenes he’s been part of during his time in the industry with those typically anthemic choruses that have come to define him,

It’s a testament to the power of his songwriting that these songs could be equally sung by thousands of people in an arena such as Alexandra Palace (recently announced for his 3000^th show in 2025), or by 200 people in a tent with the same gusto.

Conversely, though, Turner shines most on this album in the less shouty, more contemplative moments. “Ceasefire”, an ode to the battle between his younger self and the more mature, worldly version on stage now, is beautifully written, emotive, and one of the best songs I’ve heard so far this year, whereas “East Finchley” and “On My Way” belie a beautiful tenderness underpinning the rebel heart that’s always beaten throughout his output.

As if to underscore that point, though, the album’s title track perhaps encapsulates the dichotomy of Turner more than any other, starting with fragile, piano-led beauty before giving way to a bombastic coda, and closing the album in a way that leaves us in no doubt. Frank Turner is one part brash, one part sensitive, but all parts incredible. A fantastic album.

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