RIVERSIDE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Polish prog rockers Riverside have seen some things in their time, and stuff. Now in their third decade, the outfit have borne witness to seismic changes in their homeland. 30 years ago, it was just emerging from half a century of dictatorial Soviet rule. Skip to today, and the country is part of the EU - more than can be said for some - and, until the invasion of Ukraine at the hands of Vladimir Putin, was one of Central-Eastern Europe's stronger economies in the Covid era.

Suffice to say, a lot has changed even since then, and ID Entity can in many ways be taken as a record that bookends different periods. Yes, the outfit have always had one foot in a retro-hued synth-guitar sound, but here that's expanded on, with lyrics worthy of the Plain English Campaign's Crystal Mark. A record made to encourage reflection - both of oneself, and the wider world.