Alexis Petridis reviews Hard Life, the third album by Welsh indie band the Tubs, in the Guardian's album of the week slot. The band, fronted by Owen Williams, have become unlikely critical darlings following their 2025 album Cotton Crown, earning praise from the heritage rock press and a New Yorker profile, despite sticking rigidly to an old-fashioned, pre-Madchester indie-rock sound rather than chasing current trends.

The review highlights the band's blend of distorted and 12-string guitars, violin flourishes reminiscent of the Go-Betweens, and melodic touches evoking Hüsker Dü, the Replacements and early REM. Williams's lyrics remain darkly comic and self-lacerating, touching on his mental health and his mother's suicide while also playing with an exaggerated, unlikeable persona, with some songs on Hard Life apparently voiced by a critical alter ego rather than Williams himself. Petridis calls the results "grippingly entertaining and frequently hilarious", buoyed by the album's bright, hooky, major-key music.