The Back Room by Editors

The Back Room, Editors' debut, came out on Kitchenware on 25 July 2005, the work of a band that met at university and then moved to Birmingham to cut their teeth in clubs. They recorded it in Lincolnshire, London and Wolverhampton, and Jim Abbiss produced all but one track, which went to Gavin Monaghan.

This is post-punk revival with a gothic chill, all tight, nervy guitars and taut drums, and Tom Smith's big, dark voice right up front. Comparisons to Echo & the Bunnymen, Elbow and Interpol came thick and fast, and critics were split on the influences and the lyrics, but nobody argued about Smith's voice. "Munich" is the standout, sharp and urgent, and it went top ten in Britain. The album climbed to number two in the UK, went platinum there, and picked up a Mercury Prize nomination in 2006.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.