This House We Built 'Get Out Of The Rain' album review: Scarborough band builds something well worth paying attention to on their second album

After three years of relentless touring, Scarborough rockers This House We Built return with their anticipated second album and across eleven tracks, the band keep the energy high and the melodies supersized. And it really is all about the melody.

Album opener ‘Rain’ hints at the cinematic, with impressive orchestrations, thunderous percussion, and bold guitar work underpinning its message of resilience, mental health, and waiting for the storm to pass. Despite its weighty themes, the track feels more like a gentle reminder to run between the raindrops; a potential liferaft for some, a cheerleader for others, and a universal nudge to keep going.

‘Broken Dreams’ and ‘Addiction’, the latter the album’s first single, continue the defiant theme of internal struggle. The emotion feels universal rather than confessional, and ‘Addiction’ is another standout primed for rock radio with its bold riffs and muscular melody. I’m going to keep using that word, because too often modern rock leans on sheer volume and growling guitars, leaving the vocal hooks behind. Even giants like Iron Maiden and Bon Jovi have largely misplaced the anthemic choruses fans love to belt out. So if you’re after rock that gives you whiplash, This House We Built might not be your bag.

From here, the album only elevates. Far from peaking too soon after a stellar opening, the riffs and stadium-ready hooks keep coming. Their sound draws partly from the swaggering rock of the 80s and the juggernaut tones of the early 2000s, but this isn’t a nostalgia trip. Sure, the album may not break brand-new ground, but if you crave melodic hard rock with a splash of something heavier, This House We Built deserves pride of place on your playlist.

‘It’s Only Rock And Roll’ is a delicious blend of Aerosmith attitude and Rolling Stones classicism (plus a few swear-filled jolts for good measure), complete with groovy cowbell that almost forces you to start toe-tapping. It’s a refreshing reminder of what happens when rock remembers not to take itself too seriously.

‘Crash and Burn’ is another standout that cranks up the volume and aggression without sacrificing, yes, the melody. Meanwhile, ‘Coming Home to You’ shows their sentimental side, delivering the kind of radio-friendly ballad you’d have heard everywhere once upon a time. Think Bryan Adams, think Nickelback.

Even in the album’s quieter moments, they rarely let the ball drop. Tracks like ‘Drifter’ and ‘Better Man’ hint that a shift in arrangement could have offered a bit more variety, and you do wonder what the band could achieve if they explored softer textures without leaning on full-force rock. With songwriting this varied, the vocals and lyrics occasionally deserve more space to breathe but even so, the band know when to ease off the gas without losing momentum.

In all, This House We Built deliver a confident, high-energy second album that embraces melody, celebrates classic rock sensibilities, and doubles down on heartfelt songwriting. It might not be a revolution, but it’s a reminder of how good melodic hard rock can feel when played with conviction. If this record is any indication, the band’s relentless touring has only sharpened their craft and they’re building something well worth paying attention to.