With a name like that, you’d be forgiven for thinking that The West Seventies were an NYW haircut/leather jacket/ garage concoction. In fact, the band hail from the distinctly un-NYC environs of Dublin and Down. Having already made their mark in the US and Holland, the industrious trio are concentrating their efforts on their homeland; they’ve already won the Hot Press Video Contest, and listening to this offering, it’s easy to see why.
During these winter months, the sun-drenched and jubilant joie-de-vivre of ‘Fresno’ and ‘Best They’ve Seen’ is nothing short of a pleasant shock. Just as those canny Thrills turned to sunnier climes for inspiration, The West Seventies have plumped for a slightly more middle-of-the-road, more adult US sound. Inescapable reference points include Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind and Goo Goo Dolls. It could go either way for them – the songs have a pervasive appeal that could turn them into this year’s Wheatus, yet their occasional tenderness may strike a nerve with those who once championed the more heavyweight Grant Lee Buffalo.
Despite the lack of emotional vigour, The Deeper You Go is a well-crafted, effectively simple and hugely infectious work. Furthermore, I’d be prepared to bet hard cash on ‘I’ll Come Around’ becoming the feel-good hit of this coming summer, after incessant daytime radio airplay, of course.
One thing’s for sure – the summer won’t be the same without them.