If you’re going to be bold enough to open up a track with a sound that makes the listener think that a Jimi Hendrix masterpiece is about to follow then you’d best have something pretty strong in reserve to make sure that my optimism isn’t misplaced. Fortunately The Bad Years seem to have prepared for such a situation as when their sounds kick in they’re able to flood your mind with memories of all the 90s goodness of Stone Roses and their fellow Mancunian geniuses.
You might be surprised, however, to find out that these particular sounds are being produced by LA-based duo Sami Akbari and Aaron Mort.
With all the charm that you’d only expect to come out of a city such as Manchester, Liverpool or Sheffield, the pair have somehow managed to create a quintessentially English sound while living thousands of miles away in the Hollywood Hills, or thereabouts – my geography is pretty poor at the best of times. There are rip-roaring guitars, cool-as-you-like casual vocals and a wonderfully non-electronic sound that seems so utterly refreshing given the current swathes of synthesisers floating around in all sorts of music.
The rest of the EP is pretty damn special too, this pair are well worth keeping an eye and a half on.
We Close Tonight 