Westside Cowboy
So Much Country ’Till We Get There
ADVENTURE/ISLAND
The state of guitar music in 2026 can often feel like a bit of a contradiction. Sometimes the future looks bright, with bands finding interesting, future-facing new angles to explore—see 2025 releases by the likes of Model/Actriz, Just Mustard, and The Armed as examples. But for every one of those innovators, there seem to be at least as many regressionists reanimating the tired sounds of post-punk, grunge, and metalcore. Then there are acts that confuse things even further, such as Westside Cowboy. The Manchester quartet are currently one of the most hyped new bands in Britain, fresh off winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent competition, selling-out their debut UK headlining tour, and gearing up to support Geese on a set of European dates.
Yet Westside Cowboy’s sound is far from innovative. To me, it recalls a strain of whimsical UK guitar bands from the late ’00s, such as Good Shoes and Pete and the Pirates. The band describe themselves as “Britamericana,” citing Bob Dylan and Hank Williams as influences, though you can also hear similarities to various North American alt-rock acts like Pavement, Broken Social Scene, and Rather Ripped–era Sonic Youth in their sound. In short—and this is perhaps the key to why they’re being embraced so whole-heartedly—Westside Cowboy sound like lots of artists that lots of people like without directly sounding like any of them. Their new EP So Much Country ’Till We Get There sees the band double down on their seemingly effortless affability with five tracks of straightforward indie rock coursing with charm and easy-going, edgeless quirks.
A major component of this appeal is the band’s knack for fast songs that fizz with a lovely sense of momentum and bounce. “Don’t Throw Rocks” is ultra-linear, perpetually heading toward its sunny destination. EP highlight “Can’t See” also follows this musical logic. It’s a great song boasting a lovely on-the-road vibe (the EP’s title features in its lyrics) which Westside Cowboy lean into by incorporating some Modest Mouse–style spacious guitar bends that invoke an empty rural highway. Accompanied by some other impressive interlocking guitar leads, which the vocals often follow, it makes for a seriously satisfying and energetic listen. Less endearing are the two tracks that bookend So Much Country, neither of which are particularly noteworthy. Opener “Strange Taxidermy” takes too long to get to its destination, while “In the Morning” is cute, but nothing memorable.
Westside Cowboy certainly have talent, and you get the sense that they’re still discovering just how much of it they possess as they progress as a band. The question remains: Do they have the vision to become something truly singular beyond their obvious capabilities and stellar set of influences? It’s far too early to judge the young band, so for now, go for a drive and listen to “Can’t See.” It’ll put you in a great mood. Because for all of my highfalutin talk of innovation, all we really want from music is for it to make us feel something.
