The Lathums return with ‘Vice Versa’ on 17th July 2026, their first new music in more than a year and a single that feels like both a re-entry point and a review-worthy reminder of what they do well. It is a warm, riffy piece of indie-pop on the surface, but underneath that lift sits something more uneasy about identity, fear, dependence and not quite knowing where you belong.
That tension gives ‘Vice Versa’ its pull. Alex Moore is writing from inside a feeling of not fully belonging in the world built around us, which is a heavy idea for a song that still seems built to travel quickly. The Lathums have always been good at letting a bruised thought turn into a chorus, and this sounds like another case of that instinct landing cleanly.
A return built on vulnerability and lift
The Lathums are at their most convincing when Alex Moore lets emotional uncertainty stay visible instead of polishing it into something generic. Here, that means a song about needing people, fearing what sits inside you, and still searching for peace even when life looks stable from the outside. It is a big emotional reach, but Moore has always sounded most believable when he is circling thoughts that are harder to settle.
The writing session with Ian Archer in Brighton seems to have opened something up as well. Moore describes the process as becoming more like a therapy session than a standard co-write, and that gives ‘Vice Versa’ a rawer edge than a simple comeback single might have had. There is a difference between returning with something crowd-pleasing and returning with something that sounds like it actually came from a difficult conversation.
It also helps that the song still appears to have enough movement in it to carry all that feeling. The advance framing points to another instant, singalong-ready Lathums track, and that balance has long been central to their appeal. They can make room for frailty without letting the whole thing sink under its own weight. That is not easy. It is one of the reasons people keep coming back to them.
The timing works too. The band head straight into a busy summer run, from Alexandra Palace Park with Richard Ashcroft to Splendour, Kendal Calling and Leeds, before the arena dates with Courteeners later in the year. ‘Vice Versa’ sounds built for that kind of life. It has enough ache for headphones and enough lift for a field full of arms.
Why ‘Vice Versa’ works as a comeback single
I like this as a way back in because it does not overplay its own return. ‘Vice Versa’ seems to lean on the parts of The Lathums that still feel strongest: Alex Moore sounding quietly troubled but tuneful, the band giving that feeling enough shape to move, and a chorus line you can imagine people grabbing onto quickly. Familiarity is not a weakness when it is this tied to a band’s identity.
The bit I respond to most is the push between comfort and discomfort. Moore is writing about being out of step, about needing closeness while fearing what people carry inside themselves, and that gives the song more depth than a straight festival-ready return would have had. For me, ‘Vice Versa’ sounds thoughtful, easy to grab onto, and troubled enough to stay with you.
You can follow The Lathums on Instagram and visit their official website here.
