The Libertines are back after nine years and it looks like they’ve finally grown up. With their past albums fraught with the rivalry between Carl Barât and Pete Doherty, this fourth release appears to be free from problematics. But is it toxic to say the album is worse for it? Some tracks manage to uphold the high-energy charisma that caused me to fall in love with the band, but there’s a distinct lack of fire throughout. They’re doing all the right things by experimenting with genre and instrumentation, but the way this falls flat makes me fear The Libertines were more of a moment than they ever were music. LT

EMI