One of the early joys of 2026 comes courtesy of this young band from Manchester. On their second EP, folk-rock, Americana and indie rock once again join forces in a blend of styles the band themselves have dubbed “britainicana”. Five songs with a distinctly British framework, soaked in the influence of American bands such as Big Thief — the most immediate reference, given the striking similarity between the band’s female vocalist, Aoife Anson-O’Connell, and Adrianne Lenker, the Brooklyn-based group’s singer.
The EP opens with “Strange Taxidermy”, which evokes the start of a road trip on a spring morning, the sun still pale after the torpor of winter. Emerging through the mist, the song slowly stretches awake with Aoife’s voice and a jumble of layered strings and guitars. With patience, the winners of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition 2025 build a velvet-legacy crescendo interruptus which, without ever reaching a full climax, prepares the ground for what follows.
On “Can’t See”, the band hits the accelerator, and it’s the group’s other lead voice, Reuben Haycocks, who sings that there’s still “so much country ’til we get there”. An energetic slice of jangly guitar pop that instantly places them alongside genre touchstones such as Real Estate or Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.
Reuben and Aoife tenderly double their voices on “Don’t Throw the Rocks”, what feels like the most civilised lovers’ argument ever set to song. The bursts of electric violence that counterpoint the sweetness of the melody reveal the track’s true nature.
“The Wahs” is the most conventional song on the EP, but also the most immediate and catchy. Unbridled youthful energy carried by a simple guitar riff and choruses indebted to turn-of-the-century college rock.
To close the journey, Westside Cowboy bring us back home with “In The Morning”. A beautiful, brief song — the folk-iest moment on the record — warm as a farewell hug, and one that already invites us to start thinking about the next trip in their company.