WESTSIDE COWBOY - So Much Country ‘Till We Get There

The world is waiting for you, you don’t need a head start

"Britainicana", or how American folk and country meet the indie Diy/post-punk tradition of England, ideally embracing the influences of names such as Friko, Car Seat Headrest, Geese, Wilco, Big Thief, Dove Ellis, Black Country, New Road, caroline, Arcade Fire and Ratboys. The definition was coined ironically by Westside Cowboy themselves to describe their sound. A quartet from Manchester formed in 2023 by Jimmy Bradbury (vocals, guitar), Reuben Haycocks (vocals, guitar), Aoife Anson O'Connel (vocals, bass) and Paddy Murphy (vocals, drums), whose popularity is steadily on the rise, the band currently has just two Eps to their name, "This Better Be Something Great" (2025) and the new "So Much Country 'Till We Get There". The latter features Loren Humphrey (Cameron Winter, Wunderhorse, Automatic) as producer and carries on the path begun in 2025, zeroing in on slightly more ambitious compositions, both sonically and lyrically.

It opens slowly with swelling strings and the chamber-pop flourishes of "Strange Taxidermy", gradually letting piano and synths take over in britpop fashion over a bass undertow, setting the stage for the following and far catchier "Can't See", the first song to be assembled in the studio, marked by faster rhythms, harmonic guitars and congas. Time and constant change slip beyond human control in "Don't Throw Rocks", where repeated arguments, punctuated by increasingly intense instrumental passages between verses, lead to the inevitable collapse of a relationship.

I'm waitin' for a sign

To tell me I'm alive

To tell me I'm alright

And I know that you know that I know that we could never be

And I know it’s just another dumb American dream

The explosions and choruses veering into power pop territory on "The Wahs" feel like a natural continuation of the previous track, with its protagonist comparing his attempt to get close to the person he loves to climbing a mountain with his hands tied behind his back, while the bitter, stripped-back closer "In The Morning" describes a life lived unhappily, cradled by old-school country notes.

"So Much Country 'Till We Get There" is a solid little episode, but the future of this band is still entirely to be (written and) seen, hopefully beyond the thick haze of hype.

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12/05/2026