In Review: The Wytches - 'Cowboy'

The Wytches have been away for a while. It’s been almost three agonising years since their last release ‘Double World’ and four since the release of their second album, All Your Happy Life, and we’ve been missing them. It’s also the first release with their new line-up since the departure of their drummer last year, making the band a trio.

The latest ear worm from the scuzzy threesome is instant throat-grabber ‘Cowboy’, a sneering, seething anthem every bit befitting a whisky-soaked dive bar in the Wild West. To the delight of existing The Wytches fans, ‘Cowboy’ is a delicious blend of the band’s first two albums (2014’s Annabel Dream Reader and 2016’s All Your Happy Life), maintaining their unique mix of anguished sludgy post-punk and cool 50s-esque surf vibe which contrasts beautifully with frontman Kristian Bell’s hypnotising vocals. Kristian, alongside bassist Dan Rumsey and guitarist Mark Breed, have honed their unique sound to a fine art over the years, but there’s no denying that ‘Cowboy’, although true to their roots and warmly familiar, has got an extra little something that stands apart from The Wytches previous work. There’s a feeling that the band has gone through a period of metamorphosis, with Bell stating that “For a period I was losing interest. We were going through the motions but now things feel right again.”

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of The Wytches, and undoubtedly ‘Cowboy’ is sure to garner the lads plenty more admirers.

To hear more from The Wytches, click here.