Nothing But Thieves – Stray Dogs

Nothing But Thieves' Stray Dogs arrives as the Southend band's fifth studio album, released after more than a decade together and recorded at Angelic Studios, where they made their debut. That return gives the record a clear sense of looking back in order to move forward: the band wrote it together over an intensive five-month period, reconnecting with a deliberately collaborative, DIY-minded approach rather than piecing songs together in isolation.

The result is presented as one of their most unified sets, built around themes of community, belonging and shared experience. Lead single 'Evolution' points the way, with the band leaning into stripped-down riffs, rising intensity and the kind of widescreen chorus that has long suited Conor Mason's voice. Source material consistently frames Stray Dogs as a direct, song-focused record, balancing live-ready energy with a stronger feeling of togetherness than the sleek futurism of Dead Club City.

For listeners following Nothing But Thieves across the 2010s and 2020s, this is a useful pivot: same scale, but a more collective spirit behind it. On vinyl, that back-to-basics feel makes sense for an album built on shared writing, momentum and connection rather than studio polish alone.

Features

• Black Vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve with 12-page booklet