When someone hit our inbox with “check out this twangy indie rock band” and I almost just totally disregarded the email since we have been told to check out a band with that phrase, or something like it, in their press release over 1000 times in the last few months and most of those bands are not good…. let alone that band name is kinda…. not memorable. That was until I stumbled across a couple of Westside Cowboys songs by accident that someone had playing on a their Spotify playlist or whatever at the bar I was at. I was like…. “Damn… Who the fuck is that?” and then found out it was a band of twenty-somethings from Manchester, England. I mean most of the Manchester bands I still kinda listen to are not a very long list: Buzzcocks, The Fall, Joy Division, The Stone Roses, The Chameleons, The Verve, James, and fuck Oasis…. but with all these rockers and indie popsters who are from Manchester yesteryear…. here comes something I was not expecting…. kinda like if The Miz doesn’t throw a heater but still sneaks a nasty slider by you in the zone. This band of youngsters are making waves with their wildly vibrant debut album, ‘It Goes On‘ which is an 11-track, 35 minute release that effortlessly fuses rowdy post-punk grit with warm, alt-country-tinged indie rock to create a signature sound that this Manchester four-piece proudly calls “Britainicana”. It’s got jangly guitars, gang vocals, and foot-stomping rhythms that we all know and love that will get your head bobbing and singing along to.
I think what really keeps you going from track to track on ‘It Goes On’ is how well the band balances high-octane thrills with memorable/melodic songwriting. There are so many good songs on this release… it’s kind of impossible for me to just pick three, so whatever. The opening track “Kick Stones (The Boys)” opens the record kicks into full gear early with four-on-the-floor drums and spiraling guitar licks that instantly get ya hooked. Next song that smacked me in the face was “Paper Chains” with that catchy indie-rock singalong song shit I love (this was also one of the songs that played at the bar that caught my attention), and yet another song that caught my attention on this album is the gem “Pin Up Boys” stands out as another song I’d fuck around with for months to come… once again… so damn catchy, Want another one to check out. OK… how about “Coyote”?… those fucking vocals from Aoife O’Connell and Reuben Haycocks are imperfectly perfect and the song just plain kicks ass. Don’t get me started on the final track of the release.
All in all… ‘It Goes On’ is one of the best indie rock albums of the year. It’s got a little of everything for ya with a few surprises that will keep you on your toes. Hey, Westside Cowboy… great fucking job on this release… I’ll be looking out for more music from your band in the future. If you’re ever in the Milwaukee, WI area in the future, hit us up… I’ll buy you a beer or two. To all of you OKR fans reading this review… be sure to get this album a spin if you haven’t already… also… fuck Oasis.
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/westsidecowboyyy
https://westsidecowboy.bandcamp.com/album/it-goes-on
https://www.westsidecowboy.com/
https://www.islandrecords.com/collections/westside-cowboy