EP Review: Westside Cowboy - 'This Better Be Something Great'
Mancunian quartet come with a restless urgency to their debut EP that is unparalleled within the concentric circles of alternative.
It's been quite a year for these four. Ever since they dropped their first single in early November last year, I've Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You), the wheels have been constantly in motion. Having caught early admiration on the BBC airwaves aswell as in ink, it seems that everyone has been whirling stetsons and throwing down to the gloriously frenetic alt-rock of Westside Cowboy. For fans of Divorce and Honeyglaze, the band have already been making waves - with only the five works to their name.
The story of how the group came to be is one that has been familiar to us over the years. What began as a welcome distraction from the mundane toils of employment and education has quickly gotten out of hand, with the four beginning to understand that there may be something worthwhile here to pursue...
The dynamism of each member is central to how Westside Cowboy work out their kinks and bring together this rambunctious magic. Much like those classic 60s groups of Dave Clark Five and Small Faces before them, each player calls to their own distinct style.Together, the group know no bounds as they all take up the mantle in vocals, intertwining and crossing over harmonies in a riotous cocoon of calm and calamity.
The marvel of Westside Cowboy though, is best witnessed live. There's no better reflection of just how good they are live than their numerous sets they performed at Glastonbury this year, topping off their inventive flurries with them as Emerging Talent Contest winners, hotly-tipped as one the acts to witness over the Summer, with a hotly-contested festival run blossoming at All Points East this weekend.
And this is where we catch up with them and their journey with their first phase coming into the fold. Their first EP here is everything what you want in your very first project: a fresh and keyed-up stir of thrilling invention that seemingly takes the reins all on its own. The record starts with the bands' beginnings. I've Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You) brings together a punching melody and those glistening harmony lines to the homage of adoration. The EP strives to avoid the ever-present lull by keeping up appearances with Alright Alright Alright, a fast line-dancing whimsy that McConaughey would undoubtedly approve of. We're met with a more searing saunter with Drunk Surfer. In it, offers a raw tenacity all the while remaining grounded until that final cathartic release. It also stands as the longest track to date, clocking in at almost four minutes.
Before too long, lead vocalist Reuben Haycocks' soon spirals into an act of desperation, he goes on to explain: “‘Drunk Surfer’ in all honesty was about a time that I have since forgotten. This is not something that I regret however, as the song is now free to take on new meanings depending on the context of my life. I hope it can work like this for others also.”
Shells plays the lead role in commandeering the bands' tact to dynamism. Reuben Haycocks and Aoife Anson O’Connell’s hushed vocals dissolve into each other from the opening seconds; after a minute the calm temperament is broken as this off-kilter rhythm implodes with both Paddy Murphy and Jimmy Bradbury bursts run hot, almost in a bright-light clarity.
The first project of theirs ends like most others do - an acoustic shanty of certainty in a world of uncertainty. Perhaps it's the band coming to terms that maybe this isn't just an extra-curricular activity to blow off some steam. The sounds they've cultivated here has wheels. And they intend to go all out to make it blossom.
The band wrap up a festival season worth remembering with a trip to Green Man Festival in Wales before trekking back to their home town of Manchester for the annual Psych Fest at the end of the month. Through the Autumn, they are supporting Blondshell on her UK tour, before hitting mainland Europe with Black Country, New Road following personal invites onto slots with English Teacher, Ezra Furmann and mary in the junkyard. They embark on a quirky tour of their own in mid-November beginning in Norwich - and ending in LA.
Words by Alex Curle
