Artist
Biffy Clyro
Why we feature this artist The chorus at the end of the wrong turn Biffy Clyro can make a huge chorus feel as though it has been reached by an unusually difficult route. The guitars twist, the rhythm shifts its footing and a melody suddenly opens out of the no…
- From
- United Kingdom
- Sound
- Alternative rock, post-hardcore, pop rock, post-grunge
- Active
- 1995–present
Start with the music
Tracks to explore
The artist, in context
The story of Biffy Clyro
Why we feature this artist
The chorus at the end of the wrong turn
Biffy Clyro can make a huge chorus feel as though it has been reached by an unusually difficult route. The guitars twist, the rhythm shifts its footing and a melody suddenly opens out of the noise. Even in the most direct songs, there is often a little resistance left in the arrangement, enough to keep the release from feeling automatic.
The early angles stay in the picture
The Scottish group’s first albums, Blackened Sky, The Vertigo of Bliss and Infinity Land, established an appetite for sharp changes and intricate guitar music. They are worth returning to after the later hits. The sudden contrasts are not decorative complications added to otherwise straightforward songs; they are part of how the band think and move.
Puzzle in 2007 gave that language a more open emotional frame. “Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies” retains the dramatic architecture, while “Folding Stars” and “Machines” allow the vulnerable side of Simon Neil’s singing to come closer. The record can become very large without making its quieter passages feel secondary.
A bigger room for the same band
Only Revolutions followed in 2009, bringing “The Captain”, “Bubbles”, “Mountains” and “Many of Horror” into a particularly strong sequence. The hooks are clearer, but the details around them still matter: an abrupt accent or an unusual guitar part gives the polished surface something to catch on.
The double album Opposites in 2013 expanded the space again. Taken alongside Puzzle and Only Revolutions, it shows a band learning how much complexity a direct song can hold. A useful listening route moves in both directions: follow the well-known choruses into the earlier, rougher records, then return to hear the later arrangements differently. The size of Biffy Clyro’s sound makes more sense when its awkward corners are allowed to remain visible.
Essential releases
Puzzle
The point where intricate construction and unusually open emotion meet.
Only Revolutions
A concentrated set of powerful songs with plenty happening beneath the choruses.
Opposites
The double-album expansion, with more room for the band’s contrasting impulses.