Review: The English Assassin

And we are back. After a nice long break the Band Assist team are ready for a year of awesome tunes and new acts.
What better way to kick things off than with the debut solo album from The English Assassin, Dear America, It’s Not Us, It’s You - a record that feels uncannily well-timed given, well… everything.

Enough opens proceedings as a short, haunting scene-setter. Quiet, ordered and mysterious, it slowly grows in tension and intent, perfectly setting the tone for what follows. Then The Genes for Violence sprawls in, led by catchy synth work and an almost Nick Cave-esque poetic delivery. The message is stark but never spoon-fed, sitting in clever juxtaposition to the music and inviting the listener to bring their own meaning. It builds into something darkly epic and modern-gothic, with layers that demand repeat listens just to catch everything going on.

The Know It Alls feels like a modern gospel hymn, as if Noel Gallagher were strumming while Bowie recited poetry overhead. It’s here that The English Assassin’s gift for layering and blending styles really shines. Informative without being preachy, hopeful without being naïve, the song swells beautifully with the addition of strings. The chorus is dark pop perfection - catchy, weighty and emotionally resonant. A huge moment on the album that fades away far too quickly.

Are You Good takes a sharp left turn into darker, off-kilter electronica - something Trent Reznor would’ve loved in the ’90s. Light and dark wrestle constantly here, hope and despair flickering in and out. The outro nods boldly toward early Marilyn Manson and 80s synth-pop—a surprising blend that somehow works perfectly.

Copshow builds on an almost 1980s computer-game motif before dragging itself firmly into the present. There’s a twisted New Romantic edge to it, and while it’s more direct than some of the surrounding tracks, that simplicity becomes its strength. The mid-song breakdown and rebuild is outstanding - this one’s a journey, not just a song.

Is There Enough of Me opens with a Gregorian-style chant as synths and beats swirl into a grinding, futuristic soundscape. Once again, the Assassin’s mastery of the slow build is on full display. Doom-laden, immersive and emotionally authentic, it climbs to a pained, soaring climax that feels genuinely earned.

The Cruelty is beautifully placed in the running order. There’s a soft, almost 60s hippy glow to the opening before it lifts into an unexpectedly uplifting chorus built around the line “you have to choose.” It’s rebellion poetry wrapped in melody - dystopian, yes, but strangely hopeful. Genre lines blur again, and that only adds to the appeal.

Everything’s for Sale is quietly devastating. Melancholy in subject but warm in delivery, there’s an almost early-Beatles sensibility here, expanded to something far grander. The clash between light music and dark themes is masterfully handled, making this one of the album’s true centrepieces.

Meaning What You Say drifts in dream-like and reflective, led by soft acoustic backing that hypnotises rather than depresses. There’s a poetic flow reminiscent of early Dylan, the chorus landing gently and staying with you long after the track ends. Vulnerable, stripped back and beautiful - this might be the Assassin at his most exposed.

Genocide ups the tempo with a funky opening before spoken-word vocals take over. Simple, powerful and open to interpretation, it becomes increasingly layered and beautifully chaotic as multiple vocal lines overlap. It’s unsettling in the best way and lingers long after the final note.

The Very Least We Could Do fades in with almost punkish looseness, adding authenticity to its stripped-back delivery. Minimalist yet strangely epic, it feels like a soul laid bare.

The album closes with Dear America (A Break-Up Song), and it couldn’t be more fitting. Sweet and scathing in equal measure, it’s a protest song delivered like a love letter returned to sender. Retrospective, articulate and emotionally loaded, it captures the uneasy mood of modern trans-Atlantic relations with elegance and bite.

This is an album that rewards patience, thought and repeat listens. Intelligent without being pretentious, political without being preachy and emotional without ever losing control - Dear America, It’s Not Us, It’s You is a bold, beautifully crafted debut that marks The English Assassin as a truly singular voice.

Looks like he didn’t just cross the Atlantic…
he crossed the line - and made it art.