Mens Adventures – ‘B.B. Vulture’
Those busking bandits from the east are back again. Mens Adventures have released their first EP, Solitary Trip, on Dirty Bingo Records. The lead single, ‘BB Vulture’, is a melodic, rebel-rousing story of love and sets the tone for what is to come from this exciting new band.
Leading into this song, you would be forgiven for thinking that the normally raucous cowboys from Hackney had gone soft. As the beautiful violins cease and Alfie’s introduction ends with a “take it away boys”, we are left in no doubt about these gunslingers. Rhythmic guitars intertwine with fading leads, and the pace gathers through the verse to the chorus, which is a bottle-slamming, feel-good sing-along.
Orchestrated by Alfie (vocals) and Jimmy (guitar), this track is gentle and emotive at points while being a whiskey-spitting foot stomper the whole way through. Steady as a wagon wheel and sharp as a tomahawk, it shows everything that is great about this band.
The production is deliberately raw, underscoring the band’s intent to deliver an unpolished, almost abrasive listening experience. It’s a decision that pays off, adding to the track’s visceral impact and enhancing its thematic exploration of alienation and existential angst.
They have been described as a spaghetti western band, which seems unfair to me. It’s true that there is a common theme within the EP, but it’s more modern than that; it fades and rises at the right time, keeping stylised yet cool and understated. There are elements of Americana and country western sound, but the lyrics are socially wry, and the tone of the band is effortless enough to remain on the pulse of the music scene.
While so many bands are regurgitating the ’90s band we all tried so hard to forget about, Mens Adventures are coming to the scene with an assured sound and a quick wit that will be sure to see this band take the Wild West and beyond.
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