The Libertines – All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade

All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade is the fourth studio album by The Libertines, released in April 2024. Recorded largely at their own Albion Rooms studio in Margate, the album finds the band in a reflective yet energized space, combining their signature ramshackle indie-rock with new textures—strings, synths, and expanded backing vocals—that hint at both maturity and renewal. After a long hiatus, the album feels like a musical homecoming: the songwriting credits are spread among all four members, the sound embraces their past without being mired in it, and the lyrics frequently balance nostalgia, domestic life, and personal growth. The result is a collection of eleven tracks that can be both cheeky and contemplative, loud and intimate, giving longtime fans plenty to savour while still offering something fresh.

While it doesn’t aim to rewrite the Libertines’ legacy, All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade delivers with confidence and heart. Key highlights such as Shiver and Baron’s Claw are singled out for strong songwriting, while tracks like Run Run Run and Oh Shit recapture some of the raw energy of their earlier work. The production—handled by Dimitri Tikovoï—adds polish without erasing rough edges, letting the band’s chemistry come through in its entirety. It’s an album about being in a more settled place, but still capable of jolts, moments of swagger, and guitars that carry both history and hope.

Reviews:

“Pete Doherty and Carl Barât land on remarkably firm ground on The Libertines' fourth album, All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade.” – MOJO

“The odds were not good that ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’ would ever come to exist … Rejoice, then, that ‘…Eastern Esplanade’ pulls it off.” – NME

“All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is the first Libertines’ LP to spring untroubled onto wax.” – Pitchfork

“Recorded, in part, at their Albion Rooms hotel on Margate’s Eastern Esplanade, its 11 new tunes display energetic rock-pop hooks, plenty going on in the lyrics, and Doherty in good voice – half street urchin, half dissolute gentry.” – The Arts Desk