Sometimes I am just constantly reminded of how much music is out there waiting to be discovered, and Welsh alternative rock trio CHROMA are another band I’m very glad to have found.
25 Forever is their second album, following 2023’s Ask for Angela, (see Paul Cook’s ace review here) which focused powerfully on women’s experiences. This time around, the lens feels more introspective and personal. Where their debut looked outward, 25 Forever turns inward- reflecting on the messy, complicated, and often painful process of figuring yourself out in your twenties.
At its core, this is an album about growth: heartbreak, shifting friendships, identity, and learning who you are when everything you thought was stable starts to change. There’s a real emotional honesty running through it that makes it incredibly relatable.
That emotional core comes through strongest on tracks like ‘Sometimes’, which really hit me. Knowing it’s a reworking of their Welsh-language track ‘Weithiau’, written during the end of a relationship, you can feel that rawness in every note. It’s not just about heartbreak, but the loss of friendship that comes with it and that almost feels like the deeper cut. There’s something about revisiting those feelings with fresh perspective that gives the track an added weight.
Sonically, the album strikes a really satisfying balance between punchy, energetic moments and slower, more reflective ones. ‘What!’ kicks things off with a full-throttle burst of energy before dropping into softer vocals, with a guitar riff that slightly nods to Muse, while ‘Riverhouse’ has flashes of Paramore-style vocals. But those comparisons are fleeting, overall, CHROMA have a sound that feels entirely their own, blending emo, rock, indie, and even touches of electro into something cohesive and distinctive.
Katie Hall’s vocals are a standout throughout- raw, emotional, and powerful, carrying both the heavier and softer moments with equal conviction. Whether she’s building towards a huge release or sitting in something more vulnerable, it always feels genuine.
Tracks like ‘People Pleaser’ tap into that build-and-release energy perfectly, starting steady before exploding into a huge, cathartic guitar crescendo. It’s the kind of song that feels made to scream along to, especially if you’ve ever struggled with putting yourself last.
That’s not to say 25 Forever leaves social commentary behind. CHROMA still bring that sharp edge when they want to. ‘Straight Men’ is a standout and my personal favourite- with its blunt, confrontational lyric: “I’m scared of them, they’re scared of me… I’m really fucking scared of straight men.” It lands hard, especially in the current climate, and feels like both a statement and a release of frustration. Patriarchy needs to be smashed and this feels like the perfect soundtrack to doing exactly that.
Elsewhere, ‘Coalminer’s Daughter’ shows another side to the band’s writing. Inspired by a photograph by Clémentine Schneidermann and Charlotte West, it explores deindustrialisation in South Wales , grounding the album not just in personal experience, but in place and history too. It’s a reminder that identity isn’t just internal, it’s shaped by where you come from.
Overall, 25 Forever feels like an album that captures that strange in-between space of your twenties-not quite who you were, not quite who you’re going to be. It’s emotional, loud, thoughtful, and at times deeply personal, but still carries enough bite to remind you that CHROMA haven’t lost their edge.
If anything, they’ve just found new ways to sharpen it.
25 Forever is out now and you can get buy it here
CHROMA socials: Facebook | Instagram
Review by Hayley Foster da Silva
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