Photo Credit: Derek Bremner
Self-confessed, fuzzed-up, grooved-up, hook-laden trio Blue Stragglers have come out with their sophomore EP, Fool’s Errand. Vocalist Lee Martin, bassist Ali Waite and drummer Andy Head hail from the modest market town of Horsham, but offer anything but with their high octane, alt-rock anthems.
Driverside opens up the EP with the gentle tapping of piano keys, followed by some soft, pretty vocals from Martin, before entering their signature alt-rock realm. This is where the driving force begins. The ascending crescendo of the bridge of this track is particularly delicious, capturing that urge to be free, followed by a bassy, distorted breakdown at the end, which really gives it that road-trip energy that this track seems to be going for. It’s not a perfect opener, but it’s certainly not a bad one.
Running It Dry offers something a bit different – indie-rock with a sense of grungy maturity. The track reminds us a bit of an older, much more rock-central Sports Team or something like that, especially with the hook going throughout, with vocal falsetto “oohs”. The guitar solo towards the end blends really nicely with this riff for that continuity, making this track one of our favourites on the EP. The merging of worlds is nice here, and the way that the band play around with different rock styles never feels like a series of band impressions. They don’t allow themselves to sit within one box, in one facet of rock.
Another high point on the EP is Time Together – a track that packs slightly less of that gritty edge that Blue Stragglers embody on tracks like Fool’s Errand and Reactor. The alternating ticking chords create a really simple verse to give the track somewhere to go energy wise, and the vocal backing in the second verse of “ba ba ba ba ooh” adds a welcomed bit of whimsy after heavier themes on the previous tracks. This one will be fun live too – there’s a clear pit opportunity in the bridge, with another fun breakdown, something the trio do particularly well.
The biggest weakness of the EP is that at times lyrically, the band get repetitive. This can of course be useful particularly in a live setting, and in some cases makes sense – for example, the repeated “you’ve got to keep going” furthers that theme of perseverance and hopeless, unrelenting carrying on. At times, it’s easy to switch off when the repetition is too much.
If you’re looking for pure, unpretentious but still interesting rock music, Blue Stragglers have got an EP for you. While there is room for them to grow, this one is still an enjoyable listen that shows promise when they bring out their debut album.
7/10
Standout Tracks: Time Together, Fool’s Errand
For Fans Of: Foo Fighters, Bad Nerves, 2000s British rock
Written by: Izzy Morris
