Westside Cowboy It Goes On

Tracks: Kick Stones (The Boys), Well Done Kid, You Did It, Worried Age, Big Wheels, Pin Up Boys, Coyote, Patchwork, Take My Leaving As I Love You, You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor

Label: Westside Cowboy

Westside Cowboy’s It Goes On is the kind of album that makes you want to turn the volume up simply to hear where it might take you next. Across its nine tracks, the Manchester band have refined their scrappy, guitar-heavy sound into something that feels both unmistakably British and remarkably fresh.

There is a looseness to the record, but never a lack of purpose. Guitars jangle, grind and collide; melodies appear from the noise; and the songs find poetry in everyday observations without ever making them feel ordinary. What could, in lesser hands, sound like a collection of familiar indie-rock ingredients instead becomes a confident and distinctive musical identity.

The opening run is particularly formidable. Kick Stones (The Boys) builds from restless guitar figures into a huge, exhilarating rush, while Worried Age lands with the sort of raw, bruising energy that makes you immediately understand why this band have been generating so much excitement. Then comes ‘Big Wheels’, a beautifully judged change of pace: reflective and spacious, but still propelled by the rhythmic instincts that run through the album.

Take My Leaving As I Love You reveals another side of the band, allowing its country inflections and tender song-writing to breathe. It is a deceptively affecting moment, demonstrating that Westside Cowboy can be just as compelling when they pull back as when they unleash the full force of their guitars.

And then there is Pin Up Boys - an absolute riot of a track. Haycocks and Anson O’Connell sound entirely at home amid the tangled guitars and infectious momentum, giving the song the feeling of a band discovering just how far it can push its own sound. It is exuberant, unruly and enormous fun.

That balance ultimately defines It Goes On*. Westside Cowboy have made a record that is noisy without being shapeless, melodic without becoming predictable and playful without sacrificing emotional weight. There is an underlying confidence here that suggests a band rapidly growing into something much bigger than the scene that first embraced them.

The closing You Could Have Died There on the Dancefloor leaves the album on a note of reflection, but by this point the argument has already been made. Westside Cowboy are not merely promising newcomers with a good collection of songs; they are a genuinely exciting guitar band with the imagination and instinct to make those songs matter.

It Goes On is a strong contender for album of the year lists. More importantly, it feels like the sort of record that could have a serious awards season ahead of it, with Westside Cowboy deserving to find themselves lined up for numerous nominations and accolades. In a year already packed with established names, this is a record that demands attention on its own terms.

British guitar music has a new band to get very excited about. Westside Cowboy have arrived, and It Goes On is the sound of a group ready to make a considerable amount of noise.