Westside Cowboy crash through expectations with debut EP ‘This Better Be Something Great’
Living up to its name, the Manchester band’s first EP is genuinely something great.
Photo: Joe Moss
On their debut EP, This Better Be Something Great, Westside Cowboy burst out of the blocks with a collection that feels both chaotic and precise, reckless yet refined. It’s the kind of debut that doesn’t just hint at potential but makes a brash, undeniable statement of intent.
What began as casual jams in drummer Paddy Murphy’s bedroom has snowballed into something much bigger: Glastonbury Emerging Talent winners, a string of festival triumphs and now a growing reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting new guitar bands. Their sound is built on ragged harmonies that feel both raw and timeless, with the bright dynamism of the ‘60s colliding head-on with the scrappy drive of ‘90s slacker rock.
The Manchester band’s latest offering kicks off with I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You) – a percussive blitz led by Murphy’s thunderous drums and punctuated by a raucous cry of “WESTSIDE COWBOY”. It’s wild, loud and gloriously unrestrained, yet kept in check by bassist and vocalist Aoife Anson O’Connell’s melodic counterbalance, which keeps the chaos from boiling over.
Alright Alright Alright takes that energy and doubles down on it. A two-minute blur of headrush guitars and pounding percussion, the track is both exhausting and exhilarating – proof that the band thrives on tension without ever letting it slip from their grasp. Then comes Shells, easing off with a softer, reflective opening before exploding once again into guitar feedback and cathartic release – a clever shift that makes the EP feel more like a sweaty live set than a studio recording.
Closer, Slowly I’m Sure, reveals a gentler side, with O’Connell and guitarist Reuben Haycocks weaving bittersweet harmonies over a wistful, stripped-back arrangement. It’s a reminder that beneath the band’s noise and scrappiness lies something heartfelt and deeply sincere.
The band jokingly call their sound ‘Britainicana’ – a ragged mash-up of British indie grit and American folk and country twang – but more than genre tags, what defines Westside Cowboy is their total commitment. These songs sound like they were hammered out with sleeves rolled up, sweat dripping, and amps on the edge of blowing.
With This Better Be Something Great, Westside Cowboy crash straight through expectations. Noisy, joyous and brimming with life, it’s the sound of a band sprinting out the gates, unpolished, unstoppable and already too good to ignore.
This Better Be Something Great is out now via Heist or Hit x Nice Swan Records.