It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since The Subways’ debut, Young For Eternity, blasted onto the scene. The band were only teens at the time. But they quickly saw success when their first single, “Oh Yeah”, hit the airwaves with a raucous, rock ‘n’ roll sincerity, as only teenagers can do. Since then, the band has built up a respectable back catalogue of noteworthy singles that contain different components of rock, punk, garage, and yes, even pop. While ‘Rock & Roll Queen’ may be their biggest international hit thus far, their latest record, When I’m With You, offers a fan’s dream of older favourites as well as a few new tracks for 2025.
When I’m With You is a 23-song documented celebration of all the best singles from different points in the band’s career. “We Don’t Need Money To Have A Good Time”, with its captured spirit of youth and a timeless Los Angeles skate punk vibe with British vocal sensibilities, and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, one of the most infectious tunes on a record that is full of them, are two of the mid-career fan favourites represented here. Time is turned even further back in the form of “With You” and “Kalifornia”, two early singles, which are a nostalgic delight if you haven’t heard them in a while, but, like other older tracks on this record, have never lost their relevancy. They are like familiar friends who have been around a long time, but have not worn out their welcome or become dated.
Career-spanning compilations such as When I’m With You are an interesting perspective on how the band’s sound has evolved, changed and often come back around not only with time, but also with the use of different established producers (Ian Broudie, Stephen Street and Butch Vig among them). While early tracks take a very straightforward, minimalistic guitar sound, which the band may be best known for, other tunes often evolved into more polished affairs. The main guitar riff in ‘Girls And Boys” shimmers almost ethereally with the vocal dipping its feet, ever so slightly, into Emo waters. While ‘You Kill My Cool” (a relatively recent track from 2023) reveals a vaguely dark post-punk flavour, whose chorus is an understated, almost floating whisper. Whether banging away with New York-style proto-punk, delving into 2010s-style left-of-the-dial college rock or the occasional FM radio vibe, The Subways have demonstrated throughout the years that beneath it all, there is a consistent, concrete base of pop hooks which seem to come almost effortlessly to them.
The well-chosen songs on this grab bag of a compilation will undoubtedly find many older fans happy to find all their favourite bangers in one place. There are also the proverbial new tracks that comprehensive records of this nature tend to add. ‘I Need To Feel You Closer’ is a definite reminder that the straightforward sincerity the band had when they were new is not gone. The track almost sounds as if, after experimentation with different types of sounds, the band has returned to its original roots. It’s a new bit of the familiar. ‘Passenger’s Side’ is a more updated version of catchy pop evolution that may appeal to fans who are even younger than The Subways were when they started out as teens.
‘When I’m With You’ is a proper trip down memory lane with many tracks that are expected to be present on a “best of” compilation. Longtime fans will likely remember why the band blew up so quickly, gaining opening slots for bands like Oasis and stateside late-night talk shows, while still being such a young group. The record may also serve as an ideal starting point for new fans wanting to dive into the back catalogue of a band that, 20 years on, is moving forward with new material and global headlining tours.
