We had the chance to sit down with the awesome Gorilla Riot ahead of their set with Asomvel the other night (review here). Check it out below!
How’s the tour been so far?
This is the fourth show we’ve done upto now. Glasgow were cool. Weirdly enough it’s took us 10 years as a band to get up there, which is a bit odd. But it was good man, good vibes, definitely want to go back there. Then Newcastle, same again. Then Blackpool, played there a million times before but it was sweet!
And what can we expect from the show tonight?
Just some good old-fashioned rock’n’roll. It’s just a 30-minute set so just a power half-an-hour. Well, whatever Arj can sing, which is everything!
You’ve not long added a backing vocalist, what’s it like to be/have that in the band?
Luci: It’s really nice! I’ve known everyone for a long time; I’ve done a lot of Arj’s solo stuff and the acoustic side of things, and it’s been really nice to join in the rock band! We have fun, we have a good laugh!
Yeah, hearing you guys at sound check it all sounded to mesh together perfectly!
That’s good, it’s all downhill from now! That’s probably the best soundcheck we’ve done on this tour. It’s a great venue here, we’ve done it once before and that was cool!
And you guys are on the last week of the album crowdfunder, right?
Yeah, around that. 26th, so it’s close! We’re over it [the goal] now anyway. Which is mega. I didn’t think we’d get that response that quick. Everyone just rallied in and helped for the cause. It’s like us, you’re gonna get it done so get it fucking done. And within a week it was done! No fucking about or bullshit.
Is the album all written, then?
It’s all done, recorded and ready to go! We started recording it like two years ago and the recording process took a while. It’s been ready to go for a little while to be honest, but it’s just releasing it that we needed the help with.
Have got a rough idea of when we might get some new music?
It’ll be the back end of the year. I think we’re trying to aim for autumn, not winter. That’ll give a bit of longevity for the back end of the year to get on the road and work it. The album launch is booked, though! Not 100% set on dates but end of September, early October time. The plan is to be on the road for most of October, we’re still finalising gigs at the minute, and that will probably extend into November and December too.
We have Rock the Peak, and a few Stripped Back shows through the summer time to keep us going, too.
How did the Stripped Back shows come about?
We’ve always done it, to be fair. There’s a lot of influence running through the band and instead of just putting it into one we kinda separated it. People make the mistake of thinking it’s acoustic, but it’s not. It’s just less loud. Arj plays acoustic on most tracks, there’s more backing vocals, slightly different arrangements… it’s nice for us to hear the songs differently. If you look at our last record, Peach, it’s a full-on grunge album, while if you go back to the American Honey EP, it’s more soulful. It’s just good to separate on them and focus on it.
I don’t know, I’m just excited for the new stuff. As soon as we did that we did a couple of gigs with the Stripped stuff and I absolutely loved it. But then you do five or six shows of that, and you get a little bored, and you wanna do the rock stuff again. Who is anybody to tell you what the fuck to do? I’m gonna get paid anyway!
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of?
It’s one of them I’m gonna be honest, I’m fucking sick of rock music! I don’t know, I’m pretty happy to just go with it and see what happens. I don’t really have a dream tour or situation. I’d like to play at Manchester Apollo at some point. That was the first gig I ever went to there. In regards to all that stuff though I’m just happy to ride the wave and go with it!
I like Gary Clark but they have a stint and then drop off. If Temperance Movement were still about that would have been cool. Skindred would be cool because they’re nice guys. I’d love to open for Keith Richards. Not the Stones, just Keith! At the Ritz or Royal Albert Hall or something like that.
A pretty stacked week as always this week, with everything from rock to country to metalcore. Let’s check it all out!
Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories
The legendary rock band are back with their 16th studio album. The gap between the last two albums was a whopping 19 years, so it’s so nice to see the band clearly finding their passion for writing again, returning with another only four years later. And, what’s even better… it’s good! Is it as good as some of their best work? Not quite. But for a band that are going on six decades at this, they are doing a phenomenal job. Buck and Eric’s vocals still sound just as great together as they did in the 70s, and come up with some awesome, catchy vocal hooks and melodies. Tracks like ‘Cherry’, ‘Soul Jive’ and the jazzy ‘Shot in the Dark’ are personal highlights. Heck, we even get a great punk track with ‘Kick Out the Jams’. However, honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album. It’s great, fun, chilled out soft-bluesy rock, and if you’re a fan of the band already you’ll love it, I’m sure! It probably won’t make our Best Albums of 2024 list, but it’s a damn good album and one the band should be damn proud of after all these years. 8/10
Tyler Hubbard: Stronger
We’ve already reviewed this album! Check it out here!
Mark Knopfler: One Deep River
I’ve been a fan of the Dire Straits frontman for years at this point. Not to age him drastically (heck, not that he’ll read this), but my Grandad is a big fan of the man and passed on that fandom to me in my early teens. And, being not only a soft rock fan, but a wannabe guitarist in a blues-rock inspired band, of course said fandom continues to this day. And the album was exactly what I was expecting; chilled-out rock music filled with incredible guitar work and some awesome vocal lines. I enjoyed it all, but standout tracks were definitely ‘Scavenger Yard’ and ‘Before my Train Comes’. Honestly, I don’t really have much else to say about the album. As I said, if you know Mar’s work, you’ll know exactly what to expect heading into it. It’s slower, lower-energy Dire Straits. If that’s your sort of thing, you’ll like this, just like I did. However, I know it certainly isn’t for everyone. Still, it’s an easy 7/10 from me!
Kris Barras Band: Halo Effect
The UK rock frontman (and former cage fighter, bet you didn’t know that?!) Kris Barras and his band are back with their fifth album. I’ve been a fan of his work for a while now, ever since ‘Hail Mary’ came out and hooked me in. So, know this comes from a place of love when I say… this is fine. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly some good songs, and some that stand out the more I listen to them. The foot-stomping ‘With You’, anthemic ‘Reflections’ and the almost power metal single ‘Secrets’ are all clear favourites of mine. However, there is so much music out these days that sounds like this that it risks getting lost in the shuffle a little. The heavier NWOCR sound, Alter Bridge/Black Stone Cherry mixed with early 2000s dad/butt rock, is being done very well by so many bands at the minute. Whether it’s Those Damn Crows, Florence Black or Stone Broken, or so many other bands not in the UK, there is tonnes of this style that is great. And this is also great, don’t get me wrong, but does it stack up to some of the best? Potentially not.
It’s growing on me more with subsequent listens, don’t get me wrong, but I’m going to struggle to work out what score to give it. The riffs are awesome and go hard from start to finish, Kris’s vocals are as good as ever, and it does have some massive, catchy choruses. I hate to be THAT fan, but I did find myself enjoying their older, more blues-oriented sound. It set them apart from the pack a little more while this just sounds like everything else. Still, again, it’s not a bad album, and I’ll most likely be listening to a good few of the songs a fair bit moving forward. 7.5/10
Imminence: The Black
The metalcore Swedes are back with their first album in three years. I have to admit, I am very much in two minds with it. When it goes hard and gets heavy, I love it. Tracks like ‘Desolation’ and ‘?’ are amazing thanks to the heavy guitars and brutal screams. Even when the vocals get cleaner in parts of the tracks, it still has a heavy edge to it all. Heck, ‘Heaven Shall Burn’ is essentially a deathcore song. The strings in it were also an excellent touch. However, other tracks, such as the opener or ‘Death By a Thousand Cuts’, suffer the knock-on effect of Bad Omens’ Tik Tok popularity. Don’t get me wrong, variety isn’t an issue and is even encouraged. However, I’m not a fan of the kinda winey, radio-bait sound of these songs, Bad Omens and BMTH’s modern stuff. I’m sure I am in the minority with that opinion, given the popularity of the style, but give me heavy or give me nothing, please! Heck, even just a more interesting ballad would have been nice!
Still, there is certainly enough on here that I liked and to keep me entertained. There are a good number of songs that I’ll certainly have on a lot in the coming weeks and months. However, as an album as a whole, it isn’t for me. If you are into any of the bands I previously listed though or that lighter, more atmospheric/pop end of metalcore, this will certainly be for you! 7/10
Týr: Battle Ballads
I never feel like there’s enough Viking metal on this page, so damn am I excited to inject some more into it! The bands ninth studio album goes just has hard as their last few does. The first release after the critically acclaimed live album A Night at the Nordic House, it had to pull out all the stops, and that’s exactly what this does. Right from the intro it is epic, folky heavy metal music, and I loved it until the very last minute. Tracks like ‘Unwandered Ways’, ‘Hangman’ and the title track are all massive highlights. Also, big shoutout to the beautiful ballad sung in their native tongue, ‘Torkils Døtur’, it’s awesome.
Don’t go into this expecting Amon Amarth as it’s certainly lighter than that, more of a NWOBHM meets power metal vibe. However, it certainly channels a similar energy and epicness and passion. It’s a solid album from start to finish and one that I will most certainly be listening to again. Now I just need to hear all of these live with an orchestra behind them, too. I’m not asking for much! 8/10, this was great!
Gun: Hombres
The British hard rockers have certainly enjoyed one hell of a career resurgence in recent years, thanks in large part to being an adopted uncle/godfather to the ever-growing NWOCR scene. This album certainly continues their impressive run of momentum. It’s a great album that perfectly fuses the modern sound and style with that of the 80s sleazy hard rock that inspired them. The Axl Rose-inspiration is clear in the vocals, as is Slash’s in the guitaring, while it also has a touch of the likes of Motley Crue and Love/Hate, but all modernised to fit with the current sounds. Honestly, it sounds like a new version of UYI-I, or what Chinese Democracy should have sounded like.
Tracks like ‘Take me Back Home’, ‘Lucky Guy’ and the very British ballad, ‘You Are What I Need’ are all perfect examples of what I mean, and are all big highlights of the album. However, the more I listen to the album, the more I fall in love with every track. There is a lot to love on this album, and there really isn’t a bad track on it. Being a fan of the band for a while, I can confidently say that this is up there amongst my favourite albums from them. Any rock fans should check this out, they certainly won’t be disappointed! I’m gonna be cranking this a lot in the coming weeks and months. 9/10, great stuff!
Tom Killner: Borrowed Time
British blues guitarist/singer/legend Tom Killner is back with his third studio album, and first in over half a decade! It certainly doesn’t feel that long ago, but also feels like a long time coming. I’ve been waiting rather impatiently since it was announced last year, so can’t wait to finally be hearing it in full!
It’s an awesome, chilled out rock album, that has a hell of a lot more to offer than basic blues. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of that too, on tracks like the opener and recent single ‘Light it Up’. However, tracks like ‘One Day at a Time’ have a more chilled-out, almost easy listening feel. Then ‘On the Other Side’ and ‘Borrowed Time’ have definite Lynyrd Synyrd/Blackberry Smoke country vibes combined with the blues, too. All the songs mentioned previously are certainly highlights. However, there isn’t a bad song on the album, and the whole thing is one big highlight, honestly. It’s clear a lot of love and dedication was put into this album, and I can’t fault it at all. I’m on my third listen through already this weekend which, given how much else I have to listen to, is a real testament to how great this release is. If you’re a rock, blues or country fan, or even if not, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! I have to. It’s an easy 10/10!
ERNEST: NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
The country superstar is back with his third record, and first in two years. Settle in, ladies and gents, it’s another long country album! It’s 26 tracks, nearly an hour-and-a-half, and honestly a little bit of a mixed bag. I’m a big fan of Jelly Roll, but damn if the opening track that features him isn’t just straight cringe. And the variety in the sounds, while good and greatly appreciated in this long of a release, does come across more of a ‘I used to write songs for others and haven’t quite found my own sound yet’ case. The song he does with Morgan Wallen, ‘Hangin’ On’, for example, just sounds like another Morgan song. Then again, his duet with Lainey Wilson is beautiful, and he and HARDY do a really interesting cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. And the more upbeat, quirky tracks on here, like ‘Why Dallas’ and ‘Smokin’ Gun’, are definite album highlights. However, there is a LOT to this album, and a fair number of the tracks towards the back end are covers. I’d have much preferred he cut some of them out, did an EP or something with them instead, then load everything he had in the studio into one long release. It’s not a bad album at all, and if you’re into the more radio-style of country music, you’ll find plenty to enjoy. I just don’t think it’s anywhere near as consistent as it could be. 7/10
The Georgian country rock band Blackberry Smoke are going on nearly two and a half decades in the industry, and in that time have brought some absolutely incredible music to the scene. Now eight albums into their illustrious career, the band show no sign of slowing down! We’ve already checked out the singles released on our YouTube, and safe to say they’re pretty great. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the whole album!
Opening on the lead single is always a great bet, and few are better than ‘Dig a Hole’. The first time I heard this track was actually at The Long Road last year, and have loved it ever since! We’ve since done a reaction video to it, alongside two other of the singles, and I remember praising it highly then too. It’s a steady-tempo, swaggering southern rock track through and through. It doesn’t do anything massively unexpected, but also doesn’t really need to, it’s just a great track! The riffing is a massive highlight, and the vocals are catchy as anything! A great start!
Another single, ‘Hammer and the Nail’, is up next. It’s another foot-stomping, awesome country rock song. It’s an infectiously catchy chorus that will go down insanely well live, I’m sure. Honestly though all the vocals in the track are catchy. I love the melody between the vocals and guitar in the verses, nearly following each other. We also get an awesome little guitar solo tucked in the middle, fitting the tone of the song perfectly. Out of the three singles I reacted to, this was the one that stuck with me the least. However, after listening to it in context with the album, I have to say I loved it a lot more!
The first non-single of the album, ‘Like it was Yesterday’, is just as good as the singles. It does have a slightly more chilled out, more country vibe than the previous two tracks, though. There’s still a touch of rock to it, but it’s more in the guitar work and tone. It’s more Lynyrd Skynyrd than heavier Cadillac Three, that’s for sure! And that’s certainly not a bad thing, it’s a great song that is gonna be stuck in my head for days to come. It’s a track that easily makes our playlist!
‘Be So Lucky’ chills out the vibes even more. The main focus is on the steady, cleanish guitar riff and Charlie’s vocals, a simple drum, bass and keys backing. Even if it does feel a little bigger in the choruses, which is awesome, it still has a stripped-back feel to it all. It’s almost a ballad track. I LOVE the harmonies on the chorus vocals, too. I really love the lyrics as well. The band have always been fantastic lyric writers, and this is up there with ‘One Horse Town’ for me. And it has one of my favourite guitar solos on the album, simple yet so very effective. It’s another awesome track!
‘Azalea’ is the most recent single from the album, and the only one I haven’t had the time to check out yet. It’s another chilled out track, almost diving into more folk territory than even country. I love the almost Newton Faulkner riff that runs through the majority of it, and the vocals fit perfectly over the top of it. It’s a beautiful, simple track that surprisingly fits perfectly on the album and feels right at home among any other Blackberry Smoke songs. And it’s a really great choice to have this as the midpoint of the album, too!
‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ picks the pace immediately back up again in the best way. Going back to their blues rock sound, reminding me heavily of ‘Rock and Roll Again’. It’s a very Status Quo riff and the subtle piano in the back is amazing. And again, the chorus is a massive highlight of the track, being made for massive arenas and festivals. We also get another awesome guitar solo, again fitting the tone perfectly. I love how easily the band can transition between different sounds and feels, and they do it effortlessly on this album. It’s another track that makes our playlist, it’s awesome!
The main riff for ‘Whatcha Know Good’ is a fantastic one, a country-blues masterclass of writing and playing. I love the darker, moodier tone it gives the whole song. The whole track has this slower, attitude-dripping feel and pace to it that I instantly fell in love with. It’s such a simple yet incredibly effective track, and one that I’ll have on a hell of a lot in the coming weeks and months!
‘Other Side of the Light’ is another slower, acoustic track like ‘Azalea’. It’s a fantastic track with one of the best choruses on the album. And it has some more of those awesome lyrics I was talking about earlier, being fantastically uplifting. However, I can’t bring up great choruses without talking about the following track, ‘Little Bit Crazy’. It’s up there with one of my favourite tracks they’ve ever done, and it’s all because of that incredible chorus and all the vocals going on in it. Heck, it opens on the awesome trio of vocals, setting the tone for the track perfectly. And when done with the band, it sounds MASSIVE. The verses and solo are also awesome, but I can’t get over that chorus. It’s a track that easily makes our playlist and damn, I need to see it live!
The closing track, ‘Barefoot Angel’, somehow draws together all the sounds previously on the album into one epic track. Whether it’s the fuzzy southern rock riffing, slower acoustic verses or the huge, arena-filling choruses, it feels like the perfect crescendo. And again, the lyrics are incredible, a beautiful love song. I love the Synyrd-style bridge and outro too, it feeling almost like jamming than anything else. What a fantastic way to close out the album!
Overall: I loved this! I know I would, given how much I love the band and enjoyed the singles I’d already heard. However, to finally be able to sit down with the full album was awesome. Every track is amazing, and it’s arranged in the perfect order; never once getting boring. The band simply do their own thing and it comes across so well on track and in a live setting. I cannot recommend this album enough to anyone into rock or country music, you’ll find something to enjoy for sure! And I’d easily put it up there alongside The Whippoorwill and Like an Arrow as my favourite releases the band have put out.
Local boys for us, Smoke Over Elsewhere, have been going from strength to strength in the UK underground rock scene for a couple of years now. Their blend of southern with the usual UK rock sound has turned a lot of heads. Their debut EP came out earlier this month and, after their previous two singles, I can’t wait to hear it. Let’s check it out!
Opener ‘Told You So’ builds up perfectly through a great bass and drum line, adding in the guitars before exploding into the HUGE main riff. The verse is fun while the chorus is simple yet dripping with attitude and swagger. There isn’t necessarily a huge, arena filling feel to it, it reminds me more of some of the Appetite for Destruction album tracks, ripping through awesome riffs and brief vocal sections. It’s a hell of a lot of fun as a track and skirts the line between hard rock, southern and heavier indie perfectly. A great way to open the EP!
‘Fire Blind’ channels the same heavy, hard southern rock swagger and riffing as the previous track. I LOVE the playing that’s going on through the EP, and especially here with the inclusion of the slide guitar. The chorus here is pretty catchy, and has more a doom/stoner vibe to the delivery. An almost Monster Magnet or High on Fire type feel. Honestly, there wasn’t much I could think of saying about the track outside of it’s a great song that’s definitely worth checking out.
Another great riff forms the basis of ‘Crazy’. If there’s one thing that’s a clear highlight of the EP and band in general, it’s these sleazy, hard rock riffs. It’s another great chorus in a simple yet incredibly effective track. The drum fill was great in the middle, too. It’s all one level and tempo and there really isn’t a massive amount to the track, but that’s if anything part of its charm. The band don’t need to do anything flashy or reinvent the wheel, they just play good rock music!
Closer ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Woman’ is practically exactly the same as the previous track, and the two before that. It’s the origin of the EP’s title, and it’s an infectiously catchy chorus surrounded by of course great instrumentation from the band. It’s my favourite track on the album and easily makes our playlist. It’s the perfect way to conclude this short, straight to the point EP!
Overall: This is exactly what I was expecting. And, for anyone going into this expecting a straight forward hard rock album with a bit of blues and Southern edge to it, you’ll feel the same. I have to say though, this release is definitely less southern than their previous two tracks, which was slightly disappointing. Still, it was a lot of fun and a collection of tracks that I would LOVE to see performed live. Each member is a master of their craft and came together to create something really great here. Hopefully we get a full length soon!
We caught up with our good friends The Outlaw Orchestra ahead of their amazing 3rd stage headlining set at Call of the Wild Festival. Check out as we chatted about the scene, new music and their next five years!
P.S. I’d highly recommend watching the video if you get the chance, there were times where I just couldn’t type up the back and forth nicely!
How’ve the last few months been since we last chatted?
Terrible. Really bad. We went to try and get a bank account and they turned us down as a band. They said we don’t have enough information. Admittedly I [Dave] was a bit lax in putting forth my side of things. But the music, it’s been dragging along a bit but we’ve been so preoccupied with the bank that we’ve done nothing!
And what’s it like to be a part of this NWOCR scene at the minute?
It’s brilliant. I think they’re spearheading the world of rock within the UK. I think they’re going to take Download festival, Castle Donington to task, and it’ll be the ‘NWOCR festival; formerly known as Monsters of Rock/Download festival’. And because they’ve been so good to us over the years, I’m sure that when it comes to it they’re gonna go ‘Outlaw Orchestra, we’ll put them in the top three on Saturday night!’.
They’ve always been so damn good to us and they’re a bunch of super nice guys. We always have a great laugh on interview with them. Literally from day one. And they’ve got their next CD coming out and we’re on it! It’s super cool!
It definitely seems to have diversified a lot in its time too!
That’s always the case. If you start something and it grows you’ve gotta try and gather all the marbles as they fall out and it becomes bigger and becomes a bigger monster. But good on them, they’re soldiering on with it! It’s nice to be part of it!
What’s it like to be playing these sort of festivals?
Yeah, since day one we’ve made so many friends and all the people here come and watch us time and time again. We’ve got so many supporters. Even the festival bookers are so positive about the flavour we bring to the festival.
We’re hoping as we grow and we know more of the crowd, maybe some of them work for Starling Bank!
Are we working on new music?
Yeah we are! We’ve always got Outlaw ideas to record. We just went into a studio, Rogue Studios, right by Wembley Stadium. So that was super cool. They’d just worked with the guys from Megadeth and then us. It was a good studio!
If you are a musician you should work with different people, work at different studios. You get an engineer you’ve never met and they are not familiar with you. You get their take on it. You’ve just gotta hope that there’s a chemistry and if it works, bingo!
So we’ve got a few tracks down for a new album. Here’s a question though: Does a band drop an album, or does a band release singles? Now, I’m from the school that you drop an album, but the new kids on the block are telling me that you do singles and hold back say four tracks, and bring out a collective album. Maybe add a little bundle package with a T-shirt etc. I still like the idea of bringing out an album but you could then argue on what format. You say CD and all the kids out there today get confused. What’s the alternative? Vinyl? So we’ve chucked about six grand behind minidisc!
Have you guys got much planned for the rest of the year?
Busy year for festivals! It’s looking very good. We have another festival in West Sussex, and Rockin Ribs down near Summerset, and Maid in Stone Festival. That’s the site and plan that Ramblin’ Man used to be at, but is a completely separate festival. We managed to play Ramblin’ Man, back when we were supported by Foreigner and whatever…
Rockin Ribs is a great one. It’s a mega mega Americana festival. Cars, trucks, BBQs, monster trucks crushing cars and stuff. It’s the UK redneck central, it’s brilliant. They even have a wrestling ring! It’s super cool. Some serious beer drinking at that one!
Other than that we’re on later today, in the tent by the exit.
What can we expect from your set?
A few covers. Some Motorhead covers. Some Beatles. We’ll do ‘Come Together’ as I thought Tina Turner did the best version of that. We were going to do Private Dancer but Pete’s moves weren’t up to scratch! Always gotta chuck in some covers. We did a tour with Warner Hodges who played for Jason and the Scorchers, and he said to us ‘do three of your own and chuck in a cover’. Keeps the crowd happy and it works a charm. ‘Finally, I know this one!’ and all that. ‘I didn’t realise it was these guys who wrote Rocky Mountain Way!’.
But yeah, that’s what you can expect from us! We’ll go warm our fingers up and then go do some rock ‘n roll!
Do you have any plans for the next say five years?
I don’t think we’ve got a five day plan, have we?
I really wanna play Shepherds Bush Empire. We love that venue. Super cool. Brixton Academy too. The Oprey would be something special. The Roundhouse. You can get a support slot here and there and play some really cool venues. Then you know you can pull a good crowd!
Five year plan… you never look beyond where you are. You never know how it’s gonna go.
In five years I want to have gone into rehab about three times. I wanna get hugely fat and then rehab, rehab, then reform after all the court cases, lose all the weight… Different rehabs each time too, drugs, booze, then sex, which was how all the weight was lost. They lead from one to the other. Then come back looking terrible but reformed. Arrested a couple of times for trying to score dope in Times Square or something like that. Then the cover of Rolling Stone!
So that’s the plan for five years… desperation. The desperation tour. Tagline ‘The Car Crash that Nobody Wants to Look At’. And we’re gonna start tonight!
This is the first time I’ve simultaneously interviewed two bands, so I hope it sounds/reads alright! Sons of Liberty and Preacher Stone are headed on a co-headline UK tour next month, so we got the chance to sit down ahead of that and ask how it all came about!
How did the tour between the two of you come about?
Ronnie: I think it started with a conversation between Freddie Hale and Jim Bolt. And I know Freddie had gone back and forth with Marty Heal, the guy who founded Preacher Stone and struck up a good friendship. It call came down to ‘wouldn’t it be great if we went over there?’. We were like ‘hell yeah, that’s impossible!’. That’s what we like to do, we like to find out if something’s possible. If it is we’re not really interested but if it isn’t hell, sign us up!
So that’s really how it started. And I have to say from the onset it’s a really organised piece of work. The routing is absolutely pristine.
Andy: Yeah we’ve proof tested the run around the UK geographically. A couple of times, actually. We got screwed over big time when Covid hit, of course. We had one nice run around the UK which got completely messed up because of that.
We actually did a similar, much shorter duel hook-up with a band called Comancheros from the US around springtime last year. Just three gigs and they jumped on the back of stuff we were doing. It made us realise something like this is absolutely gonna work.
Ronnie: Exactly! My task for tonight is hotel rooms. At least with them knowing where they’re staying it’s a lot simpler than the audacious task of going ‘okay, I’ve never been to this country, let alone this city, so what hotel rooms should be nice?!’ So thank you for the Sons for being so organised!
Are you planning on filming bits of the tour like Preacher Stone’s European tour video?
Ronnie: We’ll probably shoot some things on our own, we won’t be bringing a camera. We’re shoe stringing this one. It’s going to be really close to the vest. What we’re hoping to do is that this is the beginning of a regular thing. Our people at No No Bad Dog were kind enough to see the necessity to go and said they’d underwrite this. But the thing with record companies is you get to pay it back. You want to spend as little as you can.
Andy: From a video point of view there’ll be loads of little clips, iPhone shots and stuff. You should be able to follow the tour, day by day, just through the social media channels. We’ll try and make that as much fun as possible.
Ronnie: Yeah, we’ll show the fun bits!
Have you been fans of each other before this, then?
Oh yeah!
Andy: Sons of Liberty started off as a southern rock tribute band. My personal choice was never to do the really obvious ones like Synyrd. We were always on the hunt for different tracks to put in the set, so we actually played a couple of Preacher Stone songs in our set going back to 2015. I think it was probably through the Sons of Anarchy TV programme.
Ronnie: Yeah, we were on Sons of Anarchy seasons 3 and seasons 5. That’s where a lot of people heard us. Being on that opened the door to us being able to do stuff like the Simple Man Cruise and the Rock Legends Cruise and festivals in the States like Rocklohoma, Rock the Ridge and stuff. That’s really helped us. It always seems to come back; just when you think it’s run its course someone will be like ‘you guys were on Sons of Anarchy!’. As I introduce the song every night, ‘here’s the song that brought us here’. We probably wouldn’t have met you guys if it hadn’t have been for this song.
Andy: Yeah, that’s how the connection started. We realised we were coming form the same rootsy position. We’re not that full-on country and Preacher Stone aren’t either. We’ve got more of that edgy guitar southern sound.
Ronnie: I mean, we’re southern because we’re from the south! This accent is real!
Are you guys planning anything special for the tour? Any collaborations?
Ronnie: I don’t know, we’re open to about anything. I don’t see how you can take two bands like this and not doing something or sharing a stage.
Andy: Absolutely. I think the last night of the tour is Leo’s Red Lion, that’s going to be a bit of a party. That’s as close to London as we came.
Ronnie: And we’re perfectly adept at flying home wounded!
Andy: And of course first night of the tour is in our hometown, Bristol! I think on the day off we’re gonna have a day in Liverpool too.
Ronnie: I’m excited about that. We’re as big a fans as we are band members, and to get to go where some of our influences came from and to be playing… I can’t tell you how excited how excited we are. This is a bucket list thing for us. And we want to make this a regular deal.
Are you both working on new material, then?
Ronnie: It’s been a while for us. We’re working on number 5 right now. We’ll have released a single in the coming days, maybe two releases before we board the plane to come over.
Andy: We’ve got musical backing tracks down so we’re halfway through album number 3. We’ve got no vocals down as of yet though so there’s a bit of work still before that’s in the can.
Ronnie: We’re six done and we have four more to go. We have the first video shot for the first single, it’s ready to go, we’ve just gotta throw it out there!
Outside of this tour, do you have a dream tour line-up?
Ronnie: I mean realistically we’ve got Rocks, Ribs and Ridges with 38 Special, Blackberry Smoke, Samantha Fish, the Outlaws, a real southern rock who’s who. We’ve got a bunch more festivals in the States, in the Eastern parts and even some in the mid-West. After we get back from the UK we’ll be back on that run. The US has a lot of weekend runs. That’s what we do, just get in the van and go!
Andy: Namedropping southern rock royalty, a lot of those bands have been over for one off tours to the UK. But Black Stone Cherry are definitely a big band for touring the UK and Europe so they’d be cool to go out and do something with!
Ronnie: Our idea is that we’re another band in the US so to speak as there are a lot of other bands of this ilk but in the UK we have the distinction of being somewhat authentic.
Southern rock seems to be doing better than ever over here!
Andy: We lucked in. Just at the point where we started doing original material Cadillac Three, black Stone Cherry, Brothers Osbourne really kicked off from the States over here. So there was a real buzz going to the scene. And then bands like us, Outlaw Orchestra, Bad Touch, there’s a few British bands that have that Southern storytelling thing going on as well. We were able to make the most of that really!
Diving right into day two of Winter Rocks, the main stage opened on the awesome Dead Man’s Whiskey (with an E). They’re another band that I wasn’t too familiar with outside of the name heading into the set. However, loved them coming out of it. Even with some slight technical difficulties with one of the guitars for the first couple of tracks, these guys did one hell of a job at setting the pace for the day. Their unique blend of hard and southern rock was awesome. And, every single one of them put on a great show to accompany it. You could tell they were having fun, so as a result, so did the crowd.
Next up we headed over to the second stage to catch the awesome Slyder Smith. While not especially my thing, there was no denying the talent of any of the three people up on that stage. They all performed masterfully and Slyder had oodles of charisma, keeping the crowd entertained and encapsulated throughout.
Next it was back across to the main stage for another Scottish band, Jason Sweeney. This was apparently the furthest South the band had performed to date, and I think they’ll definitely have a lot of new fans coming out of this set. It was bluey, it was funky, it was hard rock, but once again it was a lot of fun. Jason was laughing and joking around with the crowd and in return they were giving a fair bit of energy and attention back. And of course the music was also great to top it all off. Just another band that I’mma have to see again!
Over on the second stage we were then treated to a blues/country rock masterclass from Tom Kilner and his band. We caught a bit of his set at Call of the Wild earlier this year and were blown away then, but this was on another level. It reminded me a lot of Whiskey Myres (one of my favourite bands). It’s insane that a bloke from Yorkshire can sound this southern. The technicality from Tom’s playing, alongside his phenomenal bassist, was off the charts, and his songwriting is frankly amazing. They did a longer, almost prog track where they stripped it back and almost just jammed and it was fantastic. A great way to chill out and marvel at some insanely good music.
Fallen State soon took to the main stage after, heavying proceedings back up again. I’ve been a fan of this band for a while now and honestly, this felt just a tad flat to me. I’m not sure whether I was just getting a little worn out by this point or restless for the later bands, and the crowd may have been the same, but it just didn’t seem to click. The band all played their parts well and the songs were good. But, for whatever reason, the crowd weren’t into it. Thus, neither were the band. Hopefully they were just having an off night as I’d love to see them again at full force!
Next up were a band that, if everything goes the way it should, will be one of the biggest bands in rock in a decades time. Very few know what ‘it’ is in terms of the music industry, but for anyone who hasn’t seen The LA Maybe yet, they’ve most certainly got it. Not only do they have unbelievable talent (the duelling guitar solo and snippets of Star Wars, Eagles, Metallica and Thin Lizzy at the end of ‘Peace of Mind’ honestly made me feel like I should never pick up a guitar again), but they are incredibly good songwriters.
‘Mr. Danger’ and ‘Oh Sugar’ have been stuck in my head for days, as well as being stuck on my Spotify. And I have never seen someone so effortlessly become Axl Rose, in voice and body, as I did watching Goliath perform ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. This is the second time we’ve seen them and I already want to see them again. They are currently on tour over here and I urge you to make it down if you can, you’ll find your new favourite band!
Headlining the second stage were our good friends Bastette! It’s been a while since we’d seen them, over a year, in fact, and the band has changed quite a lot in that time. a pretty large line-up change, including bringing in The Hot Damn!/Cult Classics guitarist Laura Buchanan. It seemed to give the band a new lease of life as they were on top form here. Whether it was their older stuff or tracks that have come out in the last year, they all sounded great. And Caroline is sounded and performing better than ever. There were times where she almost growled/screamed and honestly I think it would have helped the tracks even more. My only slight point is that I kinda wish they’d get a second guitarist back in to fill out the rest of the sound live and make it a little heavier again.
Finally we reach the mainstage headliners for the Saturday, one of my favourite bands for a few years now, The New Roses. I’ve seen them four times and every time they get better and better. This was a phenomenal set. Coming off the back of their much praised new album, Sweet Poison, they played a set heavy of that, alongside all of the classics and crowd favourites.
And speaking of the crowd, it was packed and everyone loved it. I’ve seen them at festivals before and, while the crowds are never bad, they’re never that familiar with the music going in so just sit back and appreciate it. However, everyone around me knew every track and were down to have a great time partying with Timmy and Co for well over an hour.
And, because of the adoration of the crowd, the guys were clearly enjoying themselves and seemed the most comfortable that I’ve seen them too. Timmy was laughing and joking around with the crowd, oozing charisma, and the rest of the band were just as entertaining too. This was not only my set of the weekend, but one of my favourite shows I’ve seen this year. I cannot wait for them to come back over here next year, as I’ll be travelling to wherever they end up to see them!
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Hard/classic rock band The New Roses put out their much-acclaimed new album, Sweet Poison, last month (check out our review of it here). We managed to sit down with frontman Timmy Rough to talk all about it, from the writing process to their touring plans. Check it out below!
You just put out the new album. What was it like to record it?
Yeah. So, every song on the record actually came to life during the lockdowns. The very first song sounded really terrible because we were dealing with all the frustration, it was really sad stuff. Nobody felt anything listening to them. We didn’t feel like making an album back then, all the material just made it worse.
So, I wrote a song called ‘The Usual Suspects’ and after that everyone was really engaged and really wanted to do something. We had the right motivation and vibe for the record. After that I wrote maybe 60 songs and we took the time and hooked it down to the last 11 songs that were lasting. Then we took all them and recorded them.
And what about those other 49 songs? Do you think they’ll ever see the light of day?
Yeah, maybe! You know a lot of them are just shit because for every good song I write I write maybe two or three shitty songs. But a couple of them are really good! They were a little too close to the new record though and we don’t want that. Maybe we’ll take them out when there’s enough space between the new stuff and the Nothing But Wild record and we can just blend them in, I guess.
You said last time we talked that it was the first time you’d written with the rest of the band. How was that compared to writing on your own?
It was way more fun. Still, the initial ideas come from me but this time everybody participated a lot more than we used to do it. Maybe that’s maybe because we had a bit more time; we could try things out and go back and forth a little. I guess you hear that on the record, everybody’s input. There’s a whole bunch of stuff in there that I wouldn’t have come up with myself!
Is there a main inspiration or sound to the album?
We recorded at the same studio that we recorded all our other records in, so it’s just a little improvement but the same foundation of our sound. Every record we make we’re scratching stuff away, carving it away. You try to distil it down to a point where there’s just 100% necessary stuff. This record is really the most we’ve done that. It’s pretty much exactly what we play live. It was much easier to bring those songs to the stage this time because most of the songs are just two guitars, two vocals, bass and drums.
The other inspiration, the main topic, was not to bitch. Not to complain or take the victim role. We wanted to stand up for ourselves, stand up for our audience and give them a good time and demonstrate some strength and some faith. That was the main goal for the record.
Have you got any highlights or stories from making the album?
You know at first it was very difficult because we couldn’t get into the rehearsal room together. We always had to send tracks around and everybody recorded their stuff at home. We’d always meet in Skype or Zoom meetings and talk about the recordings. At first it was really weird because the songs were coming to life but we weren’t playing together. But when it finally did it was really weird. We all knew the songs so well, but we’d never played them together. But when it happened, and fortunately it did happen before we went to the studio, so in the end we recorded in the studio like we used to do.
That was very fortunate for us, we were afraid we would have to record and create the whole record without even once being together. But that didn’t happen. So, when we finally got together it felt really energetic and really cool to get the stuff recorded together.
And I assume you have a big tour planned off the back of it? There are some UK dates, right?
Yes sir! It’s gonna be December. London on the 1st, Cardiff on the 2nd and Sheffield on the 3rd. Winter Rocks festival is the Sheffield date. I’m really looking forward to it, it’s been a long time. I think late in the Covid year we did a festival in the UK, we did Call of the Wild, so it’s been too long! It’s gonna be fantastic!
And I assume there’ll be a bit more of an expansive tour coming in the new year?
Yeah! So, at the moment we’re on the German tour and we’re playing all our important German cities. Then after that we’re in the UK. Early next year we’ll be in France and then we’ll kinda see how winter goes and see how the Covid thing is gonna be. As soon as we’ve got a bit better of a vision we’re gonna be all over the place!
I imagine there’ll still be a hint of writing going on, too?
Hell yeah, that’s what I do. I’ve got my notebook, my scratch book with me. I keep on collecting stuff right away. It’s what I always do. When touring is done I’ll take everything out and lock myself up in a small room and I go through everything I wrote down and start making songs out of that nonesense!
Another week of awesome new music, from classic rock to metalcore. Check it all out down below!
Architects: the classic symptoms of a broken spirit
I’m sorry, didn’t Architects used to be heavy and… y’know… interesting? Sempiternal came out nearly a decade ago at this point, yet metalcore is STILL trying to replicate its sound and success. This album didn’t do so well as others this year, or even earlier Architects albums. It’s not bad, but it’s incredible predicable and radio friendly. The band that wrote the epic Daybreaker and Lost Forever have officially lost their fangs, falling into the same fame-baiting, pop-leaning pattern that a lot of other metalcore bands have found themselves in.
Outside of the actually heavy closing track, the whole album feels so subdued. Gone is the slight edge they had left on their last album. Heck, even the strings, the best part of For Those That Wish to Exist, have been replaced by synths. It’s made the wall-of-sound mixing style they have even harder for me to digest; nothing stands out or impacts, even the odd big riff or breakdown hits the same as everything else. I know this is an already incredibly divisive album, and a lot of people love it. I’ve tried hard but I just can’t. Hopefully it’s at least the direction the band want to go and that they’re happy with the record instead of them being creatively dry. Even a return to the Holy Hell style would be hugely appreciated after this! 3.5/10
Ugly Kid Joe: Red Wings of Destiny
This was surprisingly, unfortunately average. Being a big fan of the bands earlier work, I was excited to hear how they sound these days. Okay. They sound okay these days.
None of this was bad by any stretch, but none of it was amazing either. It reminded me more of 2000s Red Hot Chili Peppers than the fun, energy and swagger filled band everyone loved them as back in the 90s. This was essentially a soft rock album with a couple of grungier tracks thrown in for good measure. That’s not bad at all, but not quite what I was hoping for or expecting. Heck, the guys are 30 years older and more mature than they were when they wrote ‘Everything About You’, of course it would mean they sound different to that. As I said, I was just hoping the fun element was still here.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad. The band did a cracking cover of The Kinks’ ‘Lola’, and ‘Dead Friends Play’ is a bittersweet track about the rock legends we’ve lost over the years. And it’s a stomping blues rock track and my favourite on the album. It reminds me of early Dead Daisies, which I cannot at all complain about! Even the closing track is country-inspired fun. But overall, another slightly disappointing, meh album. 4/10. oh, and of course, the Judas Priest reference for the album title is also great.
Avantasia: A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
The epic, metal opera band released the best album they’ve put out in years with their ninth. Whether it’s Tobias himself taking the lead or incredible guest vocals from the likes of Floor Jansen, Geoff Tate or Michael Kiske, it’s all hugely epic, massively talented, and a real joy to listen to. With all of the effort put into the story and characters for the videos/artwork, I want to see one of these as a full stage show more than anything. It’s so theatrical in all aspects that it would make for an incredible musical.
It’s another album with not a bad song on it, and honestly, I’d put it up against any other power metal-style album of the last decade, it’s that good. Check this out, no matter what sort of music you are into. You’ll find something to love, I’m sure. This will be on heavy rotation for me for months to come, and I’m more than happy about that! 9/10
Simple Minds: Direction of the Heart
When this company started last year, I did not think I’d be sat here on a Sunday afternoon covering a Simple Minds album. If I’m honest, I didn’t even know they were still a thing. So, not once did I think it’d actually be a pretty good album!
Don’t get me wrong, this definitely my sort of thing through and through. After the first three or four tracks I felt like I’d heard everything this album had to offer. However, it’s Simple Minds, I knew what to expect heading into it and was not disappointed. Tracks like ‘Human Traffic’, ‘Who Killed Truth?’ and ‘Act of Love’ are all highlights and honestly just as good as any other big Simple Minds songs. I don’t know if it’s just me not being a big fan of the band, but they sound just as good as ever to me.
A good album and one well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the band or soft rock/new wave music. 6.5/10
Exhumed: To the Dead
Time to change the pace. Death metal, anyone? Or deathgrind, as they are now being referred to, apparently. Either way, the bands ninth album goes just as hard as ever. I have to admit while I’m definitely getting into much more death these days thanks to Overtone, some of the vocals still felt a bit much for me. The usual screams were fine, but the lower, early Cannibal Corpse style ones were too far back in the mix and too growly for me to really enjoy. However, the riffs throughout the whole album were sick, and the drummer was the real highlight o it all, working a blinding pace from start to finish. I feel like I’d get a lot more out of hearing this stuff live than on track. It’s good, and if you like the sub-genre you’ll definitely love it, but it may take me a few more listens to truly appreciate. 6/10
Stryper: The Final Battle
The glam metal/NWOHM band get a lot of stick for being overtly Christian, but those who choose not to listen to them because of this are missing out on some damn good music. Their back catalogue speaks for itself and this, their fourteenth album, shows that the band very much still has it.
‘Transgressor’ is a powerful, fast-paced intro track full of some very solid drums, a great vocal performance and even a HEAVY riff behind an impressive guitar solo. ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil’ is a highlight of the album for sure, giving off heavy Painkiller vibes and having an infectiously catchy chorus. Then there are tracks like ‘Same Old Story’ ‘Rise to the Call’ and ‘Ashes to Ashes’ that feel just like modern day Saxon, in both sound and quality. Overall, it’s just a solid heavy metal album. It’s hard to pick fault with it, but there also isn’t a massive amount that stands out. 6.5/10
The New Roses: Sweet Poison
We’ve already checked this out. It’s awesome. Check it out here.
Avatarium: Death, Where is your Sting
The prog/doom metal band returned this last week with their fifth studio album. While not an active touring member of the band, Candlemass alumni Leif Edling can very much still be heard in the songwriting process. However, although I used to be a fairly big Candlemass fan back in my teens, I didn’t get on with this album too much. I don’t know what it was, either.
The instrumentation, although a tad reserved and boring, was good. And Jennie-Ann Smith’s bassey, bluesy voice sounds as great as ever. But it all just felt like moody, depressing, dark Fleetwood Mac, but without the catchiness. Or a less fun Ghost. None of it is inherently bad, but it did nothing to grip me. I don’t think I’m goth enough for this sort of thing anymore. ‘Stockholm’ was probably the highlight, just because the riff was pretty decent. As I said, it’s not bad, and would probably make for good background music or as a movie soundtrack. But to sit down and analyse, this was a slog. 4.5/10
Spencer Crandall: Western
The country singer/songwriter came back with his fourth studio album this last week. It’s another far too long country album, a plague in 2022, as it seems. Seeing it was 20 tracks long almost brought a tear to my eye. However, it’s still a pretty decent album despite it’s obvious bloatedness.
‘Didn’t Do’, ‘Girls Like You’ and ‘Red Flags’ are all good tracks, if rather pop-centric. However, they are also surrounded by a lot of average tracks as well. This album could have easily been half the length and been a much better release. Still, if you like modern stadium-country music, you’ll probably find enough here to enjoy! 4.5/10
Brutus: Unison Life
The post-hardcore Belgians released their highly anticipated fourth album last Friday. Considering I’m not a huge fan of the genre, I found myself enjoying this a lot. From the slow-build intro of ‘Miles Away’ into the heavy, open and MASSIVE ‘Brave’, it’s a cracking way to open an album. ‘Victoria’ almost felt ballad-like in its execution; and was a good one at that. The more this album went on, the less post-hardcore it felt. It’s just a good pop-rock album. ‘Dust’ was a highlight for me. One of the heavier tracks on the album, the Americana-style guitar tone and chords combined with the great drumming, dirty bass and slightly harsh vocals made for one hell of a song. The whole album is dark, brooding and a lot of fun, even if it does all blur into one a bit by the end. 7/10
Sloan: Steady
The 13th album from one of Canada’s biggest bands of the last 25 years is another good one. Canada’s late answer to Status Quo have an innate quality to write incredibly catchy songs throughout. That probably has something to do with every band member taking the helm of lead vocals at different times, meaning that there are plenty of fantastic harmonies across the whole album.
Tracks like the opener, ‘Scratch the Surface’ and ‘Simply Leaving’ are good examples of what the band is about, for those who aren’t too familiar. The whole album is worth checking out though if you’re a fan of the softer side of rock. A band that are still very much still at the top of their game as songwriters and an album that is simply a fun, interesting listen. 7/10
Chez Kane: Powerzone
This is a fantastic album. Being a fan of Chez since her time in Kane’d, I felt like this would be heavier heading into it. However, it’s so very AOR, more Journey than Journey have been in years. It wouldn’t feel at all out of place in Rock of Ages, and I LOVE IT.
From start to finish this was a masterclass in 80s sunset strip glam rock. ‘I Just Want You’ is not only an amazing album opener, but one of the most epic rock tracks released this millennium. The title track is another massive, powerful track. However, there isn’t really a low point on the album. We’re experiencing a bit of a glam/AOR revival at the minute in the scene, and I would put it up there with any of the top albums from it. Heck, I’d put it up there with some of the top albums in the genre, no matter the time period, be it Poison, Journey or Crüe.
If you’re into this sort of music at all, check this out, you’ll love it. There really isn’t a bad track on the album. It’s definitely going to end up on heavy rotation for me at least for the rest of the year. 9/10
Country duo Everette released their muchly anticipated second album yesterday. A part two to their incredible debut album, it looks set to launch them into the stratosphere, as the band are gaining a lot of traction recently. I’d not even heard them before checking them out thanks to The Long Road Festival (find our review of it here), and have since become a little obsessed! I’ve been eagerly anticipating this album for the last couple of months now, so let’s see what it’s like!
Opening track ‘Run’ is one I’ve heard already, having reacted to it and ‘Make Me Want One’ when they were released as singles a few weeks ago. It’s just as fantastic a track as the first time I heard it. It’s slow, chilled out and infectiously catchy. It sets a fantastic mood for the rest of the album. I don’t have much more to add, if you like relaxed acoustic-country you’ll love this just as much as I do.
‘Woo Hoo Hoo’ has a great bouncy, groovy guitar riff running through it which starts the track off on a high. Add in the title lyrics being VERY catchy again and this is another great track. Also, the high ‘Woo hoo hoo’ing brought back vague drunken memories of The Long Road… I think they played this! It’s a testament to how fantastic these two are at writing songs that I can suddenly remember a track that I’d heard once months ago while half-cocked. The first chorus felt a little low but, honestly, by the second and third it all fit perfectly and felt just as anthemic as their other tracks. And the jamming outro is amazing, too Playlisted!
The lead single of the album, ‘Gonna be a Problem’, is another like ‘Run’. It’s chilled out, slower, but one of the most memorable, catchy songs I’ve heard in years. That chorus is incredible. It’s memorable and honestly everyone should hear this. It deserves to be the ‘next big song’, and hopefully now it’s gotten a second release it will get even bigger. It’s somehow pop, country, southern, blues and everything in between mushed together perfectly, and it couldn’t be better. We even get a guitar solo AND a half-time part in the barely three-minute track. This is phenomenal. Playlisted.
‘She Got That From Me’ is a cute but sad slower ballad. The lyrics here are amazing, which even more of an achievement when everything else plays second fiddle to them a little. It’s simple drums and guitar chords but Brent Rupard’s effortlessly amazing vocals make this song another great one. Another track that I can’t pick fault with, I feel like it’s a trend…
‘Wild Woman’ picks up a bit more of the southern rock style than anything else so far. Honestly this would fit right at home on a Cadillac Three album. It drops down a little for the verses but stays higher energy throughout. It’s a lot of fun and my only complaint is that it’s only two-and-a-half minutes.
The cleverly titled ‘Shrunk as Drit’ is just as fun in its lyrics. I don’t know whether it’s my childish sense of humour, but all the letter swapping and mispronunciation did make me giggle. It’s a good old-school country song on its own right, too. It reminds me a bit of Blake Shelton’s ‘Some Beach’, which is also a fantastic song. It’s an upbeat, silly and infectiously fun and catchy, as hard as it’s going to be to learn the lyrics! Playlisted!
Next up is a track I have been literally obsessed with since they released it, ‘Make me Want One’. I reacted to this one in the same video as ‘Run’ a few days after its release, which I’ll link below. Having first heard this track live, I have barely gotten it out of my head. I can go a few days without hearing it and have checked out another few albums and then bam, out of nowhere it’s back in my head again. That’s fine though because I LOVE this song. How do two guys write such simple yet massively catchy and emotion-filled tracks? It’s not fair, but so awesome. Check this one out, everything about it is amazing. It’s already on the playlist.
Closing track ‘Get By’ is of course an amazing track, but is maybe the weakest on the album. However, that’s saying nothing, as it’s still great. It’s chilled out again, catchy and another anthem for the people. I can’t say anything else without appearing like a fangirl or repeating what I’ve said about previous tracks. Check this out!
Overall: What a phenomenal album. I don’t think I was expecting any less, but it’s still incredible that I can’t pick a single fault with it. Every song is amazing in its own right and the whole album, unlike most country albums these days, is short, concise and perfectly put together. I cannot gush about this album enough. Therefore, it has to get top marks…
