Under - What Happened In Roundwood

Released 23rd January 2026 via APF Records
FFO: Uneasy listening, angular sludge, avant-garde doom, acid nightmares

Stockport’s masters of “uneasy listening” return. What Happened in Roudwood is the long-awaited new full-length album from Under, the genre-defying trio whose unholy blend of sludge, noise, and avant-garde prog has earned them cult acclaim and confusion in equal measure.  

Since their 2017 debut Slick, 2018’s Stop Being Naïve, and 2020’s Training Resource #5, Under have carved out a sound all of their own: a warped hybrid of nightmarish circus riffs, jagged rhythms, and dark humour. Their latest offering pushes that formula to breaking point - and then keeps going.

What Happened in Roudwood is dense, cinematic, and deeply unsettling. Gnarled riffs grind against eerie melodic passages; moments of beauty are interrupted by panic and dissonance. Lyrically, the record explores the uncanny and the absurd - glimpses of memory, decay, and hysteria - all filtered through the band’s unique Stopfordian lens.

Recorded and mixed by guitarist Simon Mayo at Spirit Studios in Manchester, and featuring the signature three-way vocal interplay of Matt Franklin, Andy Preece, and Mayo, the album captures the intensity of Under’s live presence while expanding their sonic palette into stranger, more ambitious territory.

There are few bands operating at the intersection of sludge, noise, prog, and experimental art rock who sound anything like Under - and fewer still who do it with such commitment. With What Happened in Roudwood, Under have delivered their most vivid, unnerving, and fully realised statement yet.

1. Tantrum

2. Ma

3. The Alchemist

4. Isaac

5. Escape Roundwood

6. Rings

7. Roots And Limbs

8. Felling

All music written by Under

All lyrics written by Matt Franklin

Recorded and mixed by Simon Mayo

Mastered by The Drum Tamer

Illustrations by Cara Czyzewska

Graphic design by Aidan Walker

Andy Preece – drums and vocals

Matt Franklin – vocals and bass

Simon Mayo – guitar and vocals