Sadly Beautiful

By Henry Lipput

I usually don’t write about albums that have been made available for pre-order because there are always a bunch of other releases waiting for me to listen to and write about. But I feel it’s a special case with the brilliant new collection Certain Memories (Subjangle) by the UK band Assistant. So I’ve decided to do a quick take on the album with a full review next year after it’s been officially released.

According to the album's Bandcamp page there’s going to be a very limited run of lathe-cut vinyl (50 but as of yesterday morning a quarter had already been purchased) and 125 CDs (Subjangle occasionally does a second run based on demand but I wouldn’t wait for that).

One of my favorite Replacement songs is “Sadly Beautiful” from the All Shook Down album. The song sounds just as you think it would be based on the title. It’s also the feel you get listening to Certain Memories with its songs full of sadness and loneliness. Certain Memories is the first new album by Assistant since their fourth album 2022’s This World Could Be So Much Fun (all four albums have been reissued by Subjangle in double CD sets and you can check them out here). And if you’re asking what the band has been doing since This World Could Be So Much Fun? It’s obvious they’ve been living and dealing with everything that came their way to produce what very much looks like an early entry for one of the best albums of 2025.