REVIEW: Westside Cowboy announce signing to Island Records' Adventure Recordings, release new single titled 'Don't Throw Rocks'

It’s an exhilarating time to be Westside Cowboy. Along with the release of their latest single ‘Don’t Throw Rocks,’ they’ve signed to Island Records imprint Adventure Recordings and announced their second EP, So Much Country ‘Till We Get There, for release on January 16th.

This band doesn’t mess around and though they’re still surfing on the high of achieving such great accolades already: the acclaimed debut EP, personal touring invites from the likes of English Teacher and Blondshell, and being championed by big names in radio and the press, they’re not slowing down for anyone. They’re unfussy, ardent, and raring to go. 

Draped in golden hour nostalgia, ‘Don’t Throw Rocks’ embeds itself under your skin right from the initial guitar twinkles, before Jimmy Murphy and Aofie Anson O’Connell’s harmonies coalesce into a lead vocal which subtly grips hold of the listener. It’s the DIY-falling-apart feel from This Better Be Something Great that builds throughout the song, mingled with a bright, hungering sound that is ushering Westside Cowboy into a new era. 

On the origins and themes of the track, the band say: “This started life as a fuzzy drum machine demo that Jimmy made in his bedroom and eventually made its way into the practice room ahead of our first headline at Castle Hotel...We tried it really fast and loud, with a new order disco beat across the entire thing basically. We finished it and were like ‘ This is good, right?’... none of us were really convinced. We were about to call it when we thought we’d have one last go. We kept the tempo but took the emphasis off of the snare and hats and instead onto the floor tom and its rims. This changed the feeling of the song a lot. All of a sudden, instead the song just being this 2 minute fog horn blare, it was now rumbling along and building...Jimmy’s lyrics on this deal a lot in time and change, and how it, more often than not, moves out of our control and without niceties. We wanted the music to reflect this too. With each section, we wanted to add a new gear, to increase the intensity until it couldn’t be held onto anymore. I guess that’s where the outro comes in. This felt like the natural first single for So Much Country…, we all kinda knew once we’d heard it back.” 

This new home, single, and EP is indicative of a band on their way to the top. It won’t be long until Westside Cowboy gets there.

WESTSIDE COWBOY CAN BE FOUND AT:

WEBSITE

BANDCAMP

INSTAGRAM