Westside Cowboy drops new single 'Pin Up Boys' and announces record store shows

Westside Cowboy, the four piece from Manchester who have established themselves as one of the most talked about names in the British indie scene lately, have released a new single. 'Pin Up Boys' is the second taster from their debut album 'It Goes On', out on 21 August via Island Records. The single follows the previously released 'Kick Stones (The Boys)', which the band themselves described as 'mad, 70s rock'.

The track was written a year and a half ago using an acoustic guitar, a drum machine pad and screwdrivers as drumsticks. Singer and guitarist Reuben Haycocks explains in a band statement why recording the song was not straightforward: "It is by far the longest serving song on the album and the one that we have played the most live, which was a blessing and a curse when we came to record. After realising this song was set in its ways, we thought the recording should be a somewhat faithful version of the live performance. We hope you get something out of it." The track opens modestly, with Haycocks' voice over a sparse arrangement, before building into an intense indie guitar chorus where the backing vocals of bassist Aoife Anson O'Connell play a crucial role. Reports suggest that over time the song became heavier and more aggressive in a live setting, and that energy comes through in the studio version too.

The accompanying music video was directed by Jack Shep, known for Saturday Night Live UK. In the clip, a menacing spotlight chases a character played by a friend of the band named Will, until he manages to escape and finds himself in a new light alongside a new version of the band. Shep describes the collaboration as something special: "Westside Cowboy's performance style is so energetic and distinct. They clearly have a mountainous future ahead of them, and it was awesome to work with young people at the precipice of starting something really special together."

'It Goes On' was produced by Loren Humphrey, who has previously worked with the likes of Geese, Cameron Winter and Wunderhorse, and was recorded at Greenmount Studios in Leeds. Alongside the record, the band have also announced a series of in store performances around the album release. On 19 August they play Resident in Brighton, on 20 August Rough Trade East in London, on 25 August Jumbo in Leeds and on 27 August Rough Trade in Liverpool. Tickets went on sale on 2 July.

For Dutch and Belgian music fans there are also opportunities to catch the band live. Westside Cowboy will appear on the NEST stage at Rock Werchter, and on 12 November they play the museum hall of the Botanique in Brussels. The band use the term Britainicana to describe their sound, a blend of indie rock and folk influenced elements that has earned them a distinctive spot within the buzzing British scene early in their career.