Album Review: It Should Be

Some albums arrive fully formed. Others invite listeners along for the ride. Fairly Obvious have spent the past year doing exactly that, documenting the creation of their debut album It Should Be through behind-the-scenes videos, live performances and three singles. Now, after months of teasing what’s to come, the Taupō four-piece have finally delivered the finished product. Fairly Obvious may be the band’s name, but predicting where this album will go next is anything but obvious.

From releasing a phone video recording from gig played at Powderkeg in Ohakune, New Zealand, January 2025. The pop-rock-punk band started to be serious about releasing an album. For some that followed or want to look back on the making of this great new release there are 10-ish videos on their YouTube that let you follow the process. Showing this is not just your garage project, but some serious sound studio and planning has gone into this. Fast forward in this year the release of Fairly Obvious debut album It Should Be, did happen on 15^th of October 2026.

Showing the poster or album artwork from Donovan Bixley, it sets in gear the feeling of what is to come. Late night, nostalgia filled life with the amp turned loud letting ideas wonder in. A nice modern take on what could still come straight out of the 90’s. The guys from opposite sides of the globe, managed to meet up in Taupō to get the band together. Ash Pirie from Wellington on lead vocals and guitar, Ben Cranston on Bass from Hamilton joined with Sam Gale on guitar and Paris Takarangi on drums who both made it to Aotearoa from UK.

The next 40 minutes will be a journey though fast pop-rock, that if you saw any of the Summer Concert Tours early in 2026 will sound familiar. Opening for Zed, Iggy Pop, and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, they blend punk, NZ beach rock and timeless pop into an addictive sound. Even a deep death-metal roar is to come, all while having fun and not taking it too seriously.

The opening is slow, low and letting you feel the vocals as if Ash is sitting right next to you. I Want You takes a minute to warm up but gets faster and interesting as it tells you a story. The fast riffs on guitars and a clear drum have your head bobbing on the beat soon. A Solid opener, and showing of skill.

Picnic Holiday is fast from the start, distorted guitars never overpower and the lyrics telling a fitting story asking you if a holiday is fun or not. YouTube video released in May shows again that life does not have to be taken too seriously. Steady plays on the streaming platforms show the song is catchy.

Stuck In The Middle almost brings me back to the 90’s. Early Blink-182 or Fountains of Wayne sound and a fast-paced drum guiding you though the song. You now get what the band is good at. Building tension, speeding up, slowing down and surprising you with these fun tempo changes.

Sounding sleeker than a garage project but leaving us enjoy some background sounds and tiny voice clips as I Can’t Sleep starts. Voices in Ash’s head sure keep him awake. His vocals shine, the lyrics feel real. Great rap style mid song moment teaches you can have 4 genres in one song.

An acoustic sound opens Meant To Be. While the feeling of early Green Day comes to me. The meaningful love song follows the same recipe that works. All skills on display as you get the urge to wail away with the easy to pick up lyrics.

By this point it’s fairly obvious the band are having a blast, and that sense of fun runs right through the record. The songs written with not just one topic in mind and titles are given as if this was a game of cards against humanity. Everything seems to fit with the band’s name. The next song takes it even further where SpaceBetween is indeed missing the space in between. Dad joke central, the song released as single on the 6^th of August, also has an ever looping never ending story showing the band playing while you get distracted with the whole family dancing with headphones.

A surprise comes halfway this album. Co-Produced, mixed and mastered by Evan Pope, Dave Rhodes and Leon Zervos, while the lads themselves did most of the production, we enter Interlude. Almost a little musical on its own it has many styles mixed into a fast pop-punk tune.

The lyrics can be shifting, confusing and poetic, this seems to be explained in Million Dollar Mind. Whatever space or spectrum we are all on, this brings forward the anxiety and distractions we all have. Introducing keys makes the sound of the band even more interesting. A breaking scream shows the range of Ash’s vocals and a sign for more to come.

This next song has the roar I warned you about. If your secret love for Alien Weaponry is pushed aside by this pop-punk band this is the song where you can even share your death metal heart with them. WTFo is one of those songs that simply shouldn’t work on paper, yet somehow does. Ambient bass opening, rap, rock, duet vocals, and “the”- roar, the one thing you remember the song by.

If it was too much, be assured it was just one song, if it has racked up your young ones in the house, and they are now imitating the roar, be assured it’s only one song. Middle Aged Teenager is lighter again. A nice reflection on getting older, while having a youthful mind.

Closing the album is Circles and, for me, it’s the standout track. Loud, urgent and carrying a little nu-metal swagger, it builds patiently before exploding into a chorus made for shouting back at the stage. Raw guitars, huge hooks and a sense of determination make it the perfect finale to an album that refuses to sit still for long.

It Should Be is an impressive debut from a band that clearly enjoy pushing boundaries without losing sight of strong melodies and memorable hooks. This isn’t a debut album finding its feet. It’s a debut album kicking the door open. Whether they’re leaning into pop-punk, alternative rock, rap influences or even the occasional metal growl, Fairly Obvious never sound like they’re trying too hard. They sound like four mates having a blast making the music they want to make, and that’s exactly what makes this album work.

Listening to the album, it’s easy to understand how Fairly Obvious landed support slots alongside major international acts on the Summer Concert Tour. Many of these songs feel built for live audiences. Choruses arrive quickly, hooks stick around, and there are plenty of moments where you can imagine a crowd singing back every word. Even tracks with more complex arrangements never lose sight of the band’s strongest asset: knowing how to entertain.

If you want to experience these songs the way they were built to be heard, catch Fairly Obvious on their It Should Be release tour. They play Last Place in Hamilton on 16 October, Rosemary’s in Taupō on 17 October, and Whammy Bar in Auckland on 18 October, giving audiences their first chance to hear this debut album brought to life on stage.

For a band that started by sharing phone footage from cover song gigs, this feels like a remarkably confident arrival.