Adam Buxton – Buckle Up

Label: Decca Records
Released: 12th September 2025

If you’ve ever wondered what an Adam Buxton album might sound like, well – ‘Buckle Up’ likely delivers exactly what you’d expect. It’s silly, self-aware, oddly touching, and, as Buxton himself puts it, not quite actual music.

Across 15 tracks and just over half an hour, Buxton blends spoken word, daft jingles and half-sung sketches into a collage of observational comedy. ‘Intro’ pokes fun at Waitrose shoppers (and himself); ‘I Grated My Thumb’ is a 49-second ode to culinary mishaps. ‘Doing It Wrong’ skewers modern life with a David Byrne-ish deadpan: you’re living your life, but you’re doing it wrong.

Produced largely by Metronomy’s Joseph Mount, the album sounds surprisingly slick for something so deliberately unpolished. ‘Pizza Time’ leans into its limitations (Jonny Greenwood once told him his guitar playing was “hamstrung”), while ‘Skip This Track’ croons into oblivion with oddly sincere flair.

There are standouts. ‘Shorts’ is a silly, genuine highlight (“I’m wearing shorts!”); ‘My Feelings’ flirts with something more vulnerable. But by the time you reach ‘Dimensions Of Superking’, the charm isn’t gone, but it’s flagging.

‘Buckle Up’ is fun for a time; a comedy sketch show in album form, a celebration of podcast-era weirdness and musical in-jokes. It’s not trying to be timeless. It’s not even trying to be good. It’s a niche joyride through one man’s brain – a detour rather than a destination. If you’re already on board the Buxton bus, you’ll probably enjoy the ride.