Six years after the departure of former frontman Tom Meighan, Leicester guitar icons Kasabian are back with Act III. The new album was released on 4th of September 2026 through Sony Music Entertainment. Act III promises to keep the familiar Kasabian sound that fans know and love, while still giving the band room to experiment and evolve, with the band particularly exploring genre blending. Act III follows on from The Alchemist’s Euphoria and Happenings; Serge Pizzorno (the band’s longtime guitarist, and lead vocalist since 2020) calls it “a bloody opera”, referring to the dramatic six years in the run up to this record.
If the eight studio albums leading up to this has given us cause to expect anything, it’s the trademark swagger, hard-hitting riffs and pulsating distorted basslines. Act III is not short on these by any measure, but also thrown in is plenty of genre-bending psychedelia that lends an intriguing unfamiliarity to an otherwise well established sound. Without wasting any more time then, let’s get into my track highlights of this relatively short 32 minute album.
My first highlight track is ‘SOULMATE’. From the intro onwards, this track is absolutely full of love, swagger and attitude with just a hint of blues. This really does feel like your classic Kasabian but with an extra layer of complexity going on. It’s got a really catchy chorus too, with the lyrics overall giving me parallels with a bit of Artic Monkeys’ standout album AM.
My second highlight track is ‘Hippie Sunshine’, which is a real feel-good power anthem that, yet again, is unmistakably Kasabian. This track has a big blend of rock meets soft hippie pop; I can literally imagine myself unstoppably power walking or running to this track in the background, such is the level of pure positivity and ambition it gives me. Only three tracks in and these guys are on it – no disappointments at all so far.
My third highlight track is ‘NOTHING BETTER THAN THIS’. Just like the previous track, but this one is even catchier and much more upbeat. I really love the bass, synths and the catchy guitars in this track, which are well layered to give a complex and mature sound. The lyrics are also very catchy and once you hear them, that’s all you’ll have in your head for a good few hours!
My fourth and final highlight track is ‘SILVER APPLE EYES’. This one has unashamed disco synth-pop vibes going on with, once again, really catchy lyrics performed flawlessly by Serge Pizzorno in this track. The instrumentals are paired up perfectly to complement the vocals; I can see this track being perfect to start a spring or summer day, as it has that airy freshness that comes with the lighter seasons.
All in all, I found that ACT III is still a really solid Kasabian album, even though it’s evolved somewhat from what the band were producing from 2017’s For Crying Out Loud backwards. Serge Pizzorno has well and truly grasped the opportunity to move the band on from the highly successful Tom Meighan era; with this album Kasabian have made something completely fresh yet formed from the same familiar and well-loved formula that has defined their sound for over 22 years. The only thing I wish was different about Act III is how short some of the best sounding tracks are; I was left wishing for just a little more time to enjoy the super catchy ones, but this does just give me an excuse for another listen through! I still thoroughly enjoyed yet another Kasabian album and I can’t wait to catch them on tour soon!
