West Envy‘s new single No Breaks leans heavily into the reggae side of their sound, and it feels like a good direction to head in.
The band have always cited that influence while mixing it with indie rock, but this track has the production and tightness to really elevate the offbeats. Gaz’s lead guitar tone and licks are spot on, giving them an edge that could almost be described as post-surf. It definitely has a west coast vibe.
When it hits the pre-chorus, it dips into the UK-influenced indie side of their sound and singer Riley really hits his stride. The vocals dance around the music with excellent phrasing, before the band burst into chorus catchiness.
West Envy are a young band to watch and regular giggers around town. Go see them and buy some merch — we want to see how far they can go.
No Breaks is launching at The Bird on Friday, May 15. Get your tickets here.
Lynott’s Lounge, tucked away behind a busy Irish pub in Northbridge, hosted a mix of young bands on a balmy March Friday night.
Tritus opened the evening with some classic 80s style rock – flying V guitar, a shortage of sleeves, and plenty of screaming solos to satisfy any rock fan. There was more to them than sounding like a hair metal band, with what was actually a nice mix of metal and punk/hardcore. They had a solid set which included a cover of Toto’s Hold the Line – hard to argue with that choice.
Next to the stage came West Envy, with plenty of merch available and an indie-reggae vibe. Think Ocean Alley meets noughties rock. The young band have catchy hooks and some excellent lead guitar work from Riley number two (or Gaz, to avoid confusion with singer, Riley number one. Apologies if I have the rankings backwards). If you want wah, go no further than Rage’s Bulls On Parade. The only cover in the set, and it gives you an idea they aren’t as laid back as the indie-surf-reggae description. A band to keep an eye on for sure.
Closing the night were Lazy Drive and the five-piece brought tight, heavy indie-rock, and most notably a serious keytar. The band have strong modern indie vibes but with some heaviness in the 90s punk rock realm (I heard some Nirvana riffs in that soundcheck). They made a lot of noise, clearly embiggened by the keytar on top of the two guitars and tight rhythm section. Quality riffs and vocal hooks including some great shout-along choruses, by the end it was an epic wall of sound and the crowd relished it. More originals please!
A good night of young bands and the venue has an epic lighting rig to add to the rock show feel. Kudos to the sound guy for playing plenty of Fontaines DC. These are bands to watch.
