Minneapolis’ Real Numbers are back, and they’ve kicked off the news of a new full-length with the shimmering title track, “Was It Always This Way.” Stream it on Bandcamp.

If you’re into Felt, Field Mice, Cleaners From Venus or The Orchids, this one’s for you. The record leans hard into that late-80s/early-90s UK indiepop sound — jangly, melancholic, ten songs that swing between hope and despair, past and future, without ever settling on one or the other. It picks up where 2021’s Brighter Then EP left off, but there’s more going on this time, with layers of guitar stacked up to give the wistful songwriting some real shine. Lyrically, it’s chewing on fame, contradictions, and trying to figure out where you fit into anything — stuff that should hit home for anyone who grew up on Sarah, Creation, or Elefant Records.

They tracked and mixed it at Softcult Studios with longtime producer Matt Castore. Songwriter Eli Hansen’s joined by a mostly new band now — Andrew Jansen on bass, Sophie Durbin on keys and vocals, Fez Felzan on drums, Jeff Cornell on guitar — who came together in 2023 and got to work fast, putting an early version of “Don’t Look Away” out on Prefect Records’ 227 compilation. Recording started at Softcult in summer 2024 and kept going through 2026 as they kept polishing things, landing somewhere between Field Mice and St Christopher, but also right at home next to bands like Ducks Ltd, Chime School and The Umbrellas. Songs like “Darling” and “Never Never Again” show a band that knows its influences but isn’t just coasting on them.

Real Numbers

Was It Always This Way

Tracklist:

1. This Empty Frame
2. I Can Tell
3. Darling
4. Star
5. Twist The Blade
6. Don’t Look Away
7. Everlasting Happiness
8. Was It Always This Way
9. Never Never Again
10. Remembrance

Was It Always This Way is out August 14 on Slumberland Records. Pre-order it here