The Orwells – ‘The Righteous One’
We first brought you The Orwells at the end of last year with their brand of snotty skater punk, which had us all reaching for our slingshots and best Bart Simpson impressions. However, Mario Cuomo and his band of troublesome troubadours have grown up a little since then and have now produced a slick and, above all else, massive track with their new song and our Track Of The Day: The Righteous One.
The Righteous One really centres around two things, which are O’Keefe and Corso’s humongous riffs, which I’m fairly sure have the capacity to bring down any red brick University in the land, and the polarising, stark vocals of Mario Cuomo.
These two veins of sound keep the blood pumping and the feet stomping as well as inducing a desperate need for hedonism and reckless abandon; two things which should be at the top of every punk band’s musical vocabulary.
The Orwells have, however, drifted from their usual trash-talk and teenage angst and instead focused on a blurrier, reverb-driven sound, which adds a little depth to the otherwise unrelenting furore. The Righteous One shows a different face of the quintet from Chicago: a heavier face, full of gaunt expressions and sardonic smiles.
Dipping their toe into the Sixties swampy sound currently surrounding our fair Isles, The Orwells are reminding us only six months since their EP Other Voices and only three since Who Needs You (kids are so impatient, sometimes), just how eagerly awaited their second LP will be. Their maturing sound, along with the thumping rhythm provided by the Brinner brothers, are a clear kick in the teeth to the critics who label this band a one-trick pony, and the LP should solidify that.
The Orwells are time and again proving that they are the band capable of stirring the youth of both Britain and the US into a flailing riot of rock and roll debauchery.
Long Live The Orwells!
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