First Impressions are whiz-bang reviews of singles, 7″s, EPs, and LPs which are given a review after a single listen. This is a great way for TGEFM to showcase some of the releases which may not get a full review on their own.
Anxious and Angry, 08 Nov 2022
Confession time: I’ve always been pretty lukewarm on The Riverboat Gamblers. I know they’re pretty beloved. But I can only say I respect what they do much more than I enjoy what they do. Albums like Something To Crow About didn’t hit me as much as it seemed to hit others. I really did like their cover of “Bonzo Goes To Bitburg”, but maybe that’s because I love the song so much and the band did it well and pretty straight-faced. Now they’ve landed with a new 2-song release.
Lead song “Two Little Hearts” is a mid-tempo number with an a-okay guitar riff, shoutalong vocals (backed up during the chorus), and some decent guitar leads adding some textures to the song. My favorite part is the fuzzed-out bass anchoring everything together. It’s not a bad number, but it isn’t fully latching to my brain. The second song, “Denton”, has a more memorable start. The guitars are really cool and the vocal hooks and backing “whoa-ohs” hit me right. And when the chorus takes off, it nearly gets euphoric. It’s simply a great pop song with enough rawness and buzz to keep an edge. The guitar lead that cuts through during the second minute is absolutely fantastic, too. This song is easily my favorite of the pair.
- Favorite Song: “Denton”
- Album Release Date: available now
- Purchase/Pre-Order/Pre-Save: Bandcamp
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ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
