I believe Rebel Bishop is the eighth full-length by Irish indie rockers So Cow, a band that’s been around since the mid-’00s and has built up a discography well worth exploring—especially if you like your indie rock catchy and unpolished. There are plenty of gems to unearth in their past work, but their latest album stands out as one of their most consistent. It’s as if they’ve perfected the balance between sounding loose and fully in control.

Take 1993, for example—one of the more laid-back tracks, yet it carries the kind of vocal melody that makes you wonder if it’s a lost pop classic from decades ago. When the percussion finally kicks in at the one-minute mark, it’s a subtle but telling moment, proof of the band’s patience and confidence in their songwriting.

That’s what I love about So Cow. The songs on Rebel Bishop work on a surface level—scrappy, up-tempo tracks like Rebel Bishop I and The Marian Years are instantly enjoyable. But if you really sit with the album, you start to notice just how much depth is packed into these songs. There’s more to So Cow than meets the ear.

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