Rum Bar Records, 21 August, 2020
Gallows Birds are pretty pure pop rock and roll.
Gallows Birds are an interesting mix. Featuring Travis Woods (of Eccentric Pop Records) on guitar, Richie Holes (of Goin’ Places) on vocals, and Glenn Wellman on drums, the band revels in fantastically throwback bubblegum pop rock. It’s timeless stuff, sounding like it could’ve existed in pretty much any decade dating back to the 1950’s.
On 16 October, Gallows Birds are releasing a full-length called Quaranteenage Kicks via Rum Bar Records. As an early tease, they’ve dropped the “My Lambretta b/w Local Girls” single. “My Lambretta” is the original, and it’s a great one. The clean guitar lines sound perfectly unpolished as they play some terrifically hooky hooks and a few descending note accents overtop some simple popping drums. And the lead vocals carry a fantastic melody throughout both the verses and chorus while backing vocals sound phoned in from the early 60’s. It’s all cool as all get out.
The other song, “Local Girls”, is the cover, taking on the 1979 Graham Parker song. They play within the structural confines of the already great original, but they make it their own. It feels like it’s got a bit more pace to it and everything’s less polished than the original, holding tight to the clean guitars and unadorned drums. The melody hits just right and if I’m being honest, I like this version even better than the original.
“My Lambretta b/w Local Girls” is a fantastic summertime single. Both songs are great and carefree and the hooks sink in deep. Makes Quaranteenage Kicks a must-get record for me when October gets here.
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
