Fresh off the LA gig circuit, retro four-piece The What Four take garage rock back to its roots with their infectiously upbeat EP.
Despite it being their first release as a band, The What Four are no newbies to the music scene; Marc Orrell was lead guitarist for the Dropkick Murphys from the age of 17, and upright bassist Jeff Roffredo is renowned for playing with reggae group The Aggrolites and psychobilly band Tiger Army. Their shared expertise has resulted in a remarkably polished, yet unmistakably rock ‘n’ roll, debut EP.
The band’s influences are impressively vast; across just four tracks, elements of blues, R&B, Motown, country and skiffle can all be heard. Lead vocalist Katie Stratton’s smoky saloon drawl is versatile enough to work over seemingly any instrumental style.
Opening number ‘Nowhere Blues’ is a soulful, quintessentially American ballad. With imagery of motorcycles, sunsets and clinking cups, the track is straight out of the hedonistic 1960s.
‘Quarter to Midnight,’ is a groovy, foot-tapping track that sees Ratfield duet with Stratton on vocals, enacting a raunchy dancefloor encounter. Multi-instrumentalist talent behind a drumkit, Orrell, comes out to shine on ‘A Long Way to Go,’ uplifting the melody with an addictive rhythm.
Taking on a lighter, poppier tone, ‘Sunday Morning Ain’t So Easy’ draws the EP to a gentle yet upbeat close. Its lyrics are simple, yet perfectly encapsulate the feeling of regret that comes the morning after the night before: “Saturday night is fun and sleazy / Sunday morning ain’t so easy”
All in all, its a strong debut from a band of pros. We’re excited to see where this takes them.
‘Four (The Record)’ is out now on Soundcloud and Spotify.
