The Great St. Louis follow-up their 2010 LP ‘In Your Own Time’ sixteen years ago. Yup, I said sixteen years apart, so I guess it’s fair to say they’ve lived a life in that time and managed to perfect their wholesome alt punk sound coasting on a Gaslight Anthem edge with added Repacements and a whole lot besides. It’s one way around the Difficult next Album tag, as releasing this, their third album, ‘Stay Right There’, its a mighty fine record that grows and grows on each play.

The album gets going with a puffed-up chest and amps on ten. With songs brimming with optimism and a healthy pace, sounding like Buffalo Tom if Paul Westerberg was on vacation with them, ‘Swig’ is a great example. Imagine pre-Grammy nominated Goo Goo Dolls when they still had some edge its all in here.

The sound captured on the album is excellent, full-blooded and fist pumping its the general MO with the raw and emotional vocal delivery of one too many cigarettes washed down with some malt bourbon on the rocks for added gravitas. How the fuck are these guys from the UK with a sound born in some backwater town on the outskirts of town in some midwestern barroom?

There’s a warmth in the delivery that has the feeling of familiarity, like you’ve heard this record before, which is nuts, right? But it puts you at ease right away, and by the time the excellent ‘Warning Shots’ steams past you, this album is going to get plenty of airplay around here and deservedly so. The album has boundless energy in the songs, and I love some of the thumping, warm Basslines that shine through. Take ‘Old New Boots’ for example, with a subtle earworm melody that keeps chipping away until you press repeat to hear it again. As the album becomes familiar, I’m hearing joint tours with the likes of the Diaz Brothers and Frankie from Leatherface, who must have been an inspiration here.

The only disappointment is that there are only ten tracks on offer. I want to hear more and to close off the record with a thumping take on the classic John Leyton track (which I loved as a kid), ‘Johnny’, but it never sounded like this. What a fantastic album, one I would urge you to at least check out if not purchase it’s absolute Fire as the kids would say.

Buy Here DL Vinyl Here

Author: Dom Daley