English Teacher This Could Be Texas
Released Apr 12, 2024 Universal-Island Records Ltd.
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 3, 2026
Strong critical consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. English Teacher's This Could Be Texas arrives as a vividly confident debut, where propulsive punk energy and moments of fragile tenderness collide to memorable effect.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
You Blister My Paint
1 critic mention
“the fragile, piano-led sweetness of heartbreaking highlight 'You Blister My Paint” — DIY Magazine
Albatross
2 critic mentions
“Albatross’ opens the album with a gust that just about knocks you off your feet” — Hot Press
Mastermind Specialism
3 critic mentions
“Mastermind Specialism’ – a mesmerising mix of orchestral flourishes, frenetic keys and coiled guitars – is another highlight” — Hot Press
Full critic consensus
English Teacher's This Could Be Texas arrives as a vividly confident debut, where propulsive punk energy and moments of fragile tenderness collide to memorable effect. Across three professional reviews, the record earned a 90/100 consensus score, with critics repeatedly praising its blend of post-punk experimentation, sharp lyricism, and instrumental prowess. Reviewers consistently point to Lily Fontaine's developing vocals and Lewis Whiting's guitars as engines that drive the album's dynamic contrasts and regional northern charm.
Critics highlight several standout tracks as the best songs on This Could Be Texas. “Mastermind Specialism” emerges in multiple reviews as a mesmerising centerpiece for its reflective lyrics about identity. “Albatross” and piano-led “You Blister My Paint” are cited for their tenderness and orchestral flourishes, while “Albert Road” is singled out as an epic, staggering closer. Reviewers also note jagged, kinetic moments like “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” and inventive touches on “R&B” and “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying” that underline the band’s indie-prog ambitions and instrumental finesse.
While praise dominates, critics offer nuance: some reviews emphasize texture and restraint over outright aggression, framing the record as a study in contrasts rather than uniform intensity. Taken together across three professional reviews, the critical consensus suggests This Could Be Texas is a must-listen debut that balances punk thrust with poetic domestic melancholy, marking English Teacher as a band with both immediate hooks and deeper rewards for repeat plays.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Albatross
The World's Biggest Paving Slab
Broken Biscuits
I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying
Mastermind Specialism
This Could Be Texas
Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space
R&B
Nearly Daffodils
The Best Tears of Your Life
You Blister My Paint
Sideboob
Albert Road
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
English Teacher take their time on This Could Be Texas, unfurling textures rather than shouting their intent, which makes the best songs - “You Blister My Paint” and “Albert Road” - feel like revelations. Fontaine’s voice blooms across the record, so the fragile piano-led “You Blister My Paint” and the epic closer “Albert Road” become the album’s clearest triumphs, tender and staggering in equal measure. Elsewhere, jagged tracks like “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” and the wistful math-pop of “Nearly Daffodils” show range, but it’s the moments of intimacy that mark the best songs on This Could Be Texas.
Key Points
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You Blister My Paint is best for its fragile piano-led delivery and heartbreaking impact showcasing Fontaine’s vocal bloom.
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The album’s core strengths are poetic lyrics and vocal development across diverse, experimental post-punk textures.
Themes
Critic's Take
English Teacher's debut This Could Be Texas is presented with a wry, exacting confidence that makes the best tracks stand out. The reviewer's eye lingers on “Mastermind Specialism”, where Lily Fontaine's reflective lyricism about identity feels exceptional, and on “R&B”, whose newly recorded version sharpens a social critique with clarity. Instrumental highlights like the piano on “Albatross” and Johnny Marr-esque guitars on “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying” are cited as reasons these songs rank among the best tracks on This Could Be Texas. Overall the album's originality and northern charm are framed as what makes these standout songs resonate.
Key Points
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The best song is "Mastermind Specialism" because of Lily Fontaine's exceptional, identity-focused lyricism.
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The album's core strengths are its craftily written lyrics and evocative instrumentation rooted in northern charm.
Themes
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Critic's Take
English Teacher arrive on This Could Be Texas with a confident, propulsive debut that frames the best tracks as kinetic blasts and tender pivots. The review leans on the immediacy of “Albatross” and the driving momentum of “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”, calling out Lewis Whiting’s blistering riffs and Lily Fontaine’s swan-diving vocals. Caroline Kelly’s voice applauds drummer Douglas Frost as a secret weapon, especially on “Broken Biscuits”, while praising “Mastermind Specialism” as a mesmerising highlight. This is a record where the best songs on This Could Be Texas balance orchestral flourish and punk thrust, making them the standout moments.
Key Points
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The best song is driven by visceral performance and vivid riffs, exemplified by “Albatross”.
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The album’s core strengths are dynamic contrasts, strong rhythmic propulsion, and a lush indie-prog-punk palette.