Compared to the increasingly intense and neurotic music coming out of the Windmill Scene in the 2020s, Westside Cowboy brings everything back to the basics; eschewing a lot of the post-punk and prog-rock influences for a simpler and looser indie rock style. Westside Cowboy still has some of those tendencies (particularly on the EPs), but on the whole they have a much more straightforward and commercially friendly sound. They also draw more from the American strains of indie rock than a lot of their UK counterparts, including the twangy guitars akin to slacker rock and the nasally mid-western styled vocals.
This is encapsulated by the opening track, Kick Stones (The Boys). The song is a fast-paced and rollicking indie rock jam with a catchy, chant-a-long hook shared by by the group. The track slowly builds up in energy and intensity until it reaches its climax in the last chorus. The track is just straight up indie rock fun and I was addicted to it when it released as the lead single for the record. A perfect fit for the start of summer. This then leads straight into the simple power pop of Paperchains. The song feels like such a nostalgic tune for me, reminding me of the chaotic and propulsive energy of Circa Waves debut record, Young Chasers. Dobro slows it down just a tad to provide a more American, bluesy aesthetic. Similarly to Kick Stones, the interplay and harmonies within the groups joint vocal approach build up this lovely layered mix, with Aoife Ansen O'connell's higher register vocals bouncing off the rest of the guys in the group's voices so well.
The rest of the tracklist very much carries on in this fashion. Fast paced, layered up indie rock tunes that build to dynamic choruses. Well Done Kid, You Did It has layers of twangy mid-western indie styled guitars. Worried Age is a slow burn that starts off with just a rhythm guitar, before the drums and lead guitar come in in the second verse, but then they strip it all back for the bridge and bring everything back in for a climactic finale. Pin Up Boys is easily the most 'anthemic' of the songs on the album - and makes sense as the big single being pushed on radio. The track has a lot of contrast and dynamics between the building verses and singalong chorus and "Wah hoo" backign vocals.
The back end of the record is where the band's artier, more Windmill Scene, tendencies. Aoife takes the lead on Coyote, which has a strong narrative about 'Mr Coyote' and the destruction of the natural environment by man. The song is a lot more restrained than the rest of the record thus far, and only really erupts into the cacophony of sound in its final 30 seconds. Patchwork slows things down even further, being a slow-burning indie ballad with gently strummed guitars and twinkling keys. It's the closest BC,NR the record gets and is a really nice change of pace. Take My Leaving As I Love You is another slow jam, being just a single set of vocals and an acoustic guitar. You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor brings back some of the energy for the finale, but the wordy, dense lyrics definitely give BC,NR or Cameron Winter vibes for sure.
It Goes On is such a fun and easy to throw on indie rock record. It boils everything down to the basics and is all the better for it. I won't say its an earth shattering listen, and before release I was expecting them to go down more of the art-rock route than they actually ended up doing. But for what it is, it is a blast of a time and I'm sure the band will go and do even greater things from here.
Top Tracks: Kick Stones (The Boys), Paperchains, Dobro, Well Done Kid, You Did It, Worried Age, Pin Up Boys, Coyote, Patchwork
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment