Review: The Stangs “American Sessions”

These are The Stangs.

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They are a Welsh indie rock band soaking in garage rock rags.

‘Welsh’ is just a posh way of saying they hail from Wales, a country on the east end of the island of Great Britain. If you want to get specific, they are from Pembrokeshire. Something for you to Google later…

Formed in 2015, the band did the typical local opening slots, honing their craft and carving a name for themselves in the always vibrant UK scene.

Having caught the ear of a state-side producer, the band flew to New Jersey to cut their debut 4 song EP appropriately called, “American Sessions”.

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The opening track, ‘Beekeeper’ smacks with an upbeat twist, falling between the cheekiness of Arctic Monkeys and the raw energy of The Hives. Like much of The Stangs music, the structure is familiar, but given a wry presence by vocalist and principle song writer Graeme Heath. His approach to crafting music displays a thick Brit Pop influence. Even the recording is presented with that ‘classic vintage’ filter.

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The follow-up track, ‘She’s a Stranger’, is a subdued, lyrically driven number. Even though Heath has notable talent with words, he also knows the power of a simple melodic hook, which he employs for a workable ‘Whoa oh oh…’ chorus.

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The remaining two songs on the “American Sessions” EP follow suit with some noodling, chill afternoon guitars on ‘Never Been To London’ while the dance-able ‘Dirty Faces’ plays upon a jubilant skiffle beat.

The Stangs wrangle that tricky inspiration of wearing their influences on their sleeves, while trying to stamp their own unique flavor upon familiar jangly guitar British pop/indie rocks. The end result works, mostly due to Greame Health’s nascent vocal presence and ability to build upon proven formulas for structuring a song.

Follow the band for more music, photos, and tour dates here: The Stangs on Facebook

The Stangs live

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