Westside Cowboy – So Much Country 'Till We Get There

Off the back of just one EP and some incendiary live shows, Westside Cowboy became one of the buzziest bands of 2025. They open 2026 by vindicating that buzz emphatically, with this wonderfully varied and unerringly confident second release. The Manchester four-piece have thrown around the term ‘Britainicana’ as a catch-all description of their college-rock-meets-thoughtful-folk sound; it doesn’t quite feel so tongue-in-cheek anymore, given how accomplished they prove themselves to be at both sides of that coin on So Much Country ‘Till We Get There.

Opener Strange Taxidermy is haunting and atmospheric, with bassist Aoife Anson O’Connell handling lead vocals and taking her cues from Lankum. Can’t See and Don’t Throw Rocks are both taut, melodic indie rockers that fizz with tension, driven by punchy percussion and nimble riffs. The Wahs, which is maybe the standout, is a lean garage rocker that simmers towards a euphoric climax that deftly utilises what might be the sharpest weapon in the Westside Cowboy arsenal – layered, harmonic vocals. Those vocals also define woozy closer In the Morning, a track anybody who’s caught them live will be familiar with. So Much Country ‘Till We Get There is barely 15 minutes long; it is scarcely believable how much promise they’ve packed into it. Believe the hype.

Listen to: Strange Taxidermy, The Wahs