Introducing... Stagecoach

 

Here's a band I stumbled across online the other week, and immediately caught my eye - London heavy powerpop five-piece Stagecoach. I must admit I was mainly drawn in by the lyrics of 'Headbangers Ball', a track which featured on a free Alcopop Records sampler, which made specific reference to the Buffy The Vampire Slayer (one of my all-time favourite shows) repeats during daytime on SyFy. So far, so awesome. A quick Spotify search brought up their latest EP Crash My Ride, and on the whole it's a twenty-minute treat of massive guitars, red-bull infused manic energy, lively group vocals, and huge melodic hooks.

The blending of heavy chugging guitars alongside intricately plucked ones, the hyperactive, intense singing, and the immense amount of fun brings to mind Dananananaykroyd, particularly on 'Hieroglyphics', 'Map to the Freezer' and 'Good! Great! Better! Best!', whilst the wonderfully throwaway lyrics with numerous pop culture references (Buffy, Star Wars, couch surfing and suchlike) is reminiscent of Fight Like Apes' hilarious, biting and sarcastic wordplay. Once you've heard 'Map To The Freezer' (definitely the best track on here), shouting "I found a map to the freezer/High fives! It's loaded with pizza!" against a backdrop of crunching, distorted guitars whilst jumping maniacally around your living room will inevitably become a staple part of the upcoming summer.

It's not a perfect EP - 'Axe Behind My Back' has a good melody, but the overly dark lyrics really don't fit with the rest of the songs, and 'Fish Tank Glow' is a strangely low-key closer for an EP otherwise bursting to the seams with youthful exuberance and vitality. However, it's a really promising listen which has made me eagerly await more material in the future, especially following the awesome 7" split single 'Not Even Giles Would Say We'll Be OK' with Johnny Foreigner which is definitely worth checking out too. If you've got Spotify, find a map to Crash My Ride. High fives! It's loaded with awesome!

• [mp3] 'Map To The Freezer' - Stagecoach
• [YouTube] 'Not Even Giles Would Say We'll Be OK' - Stagecoach
• [Spotify] Crash My Ride - Stagecoach
  

Crash My Ride is out now on CD and mp3. Buy it, as well as the 7" split EP w/ Johnny Foreigner, on the Alcopop Records online shop. They're playing the Camden Barfly on June 2nd for £6 - get a ticket here. Also see them playing at Live At Leeds.