The first time I heard The Strypes was three years ago, in 2012, when they released their first EP, Young Gifted and Blue. Back then it was all blues covers and shaggy hair for the four Irish boys. Now the Strypes are all grown up and releasing their sophomore album, Little Victories. Much to the disappointment of some of their fans, they’ve dropped much of their bluesy, Dr. Feelgood vibes for a much more contemporary sound that fuses Led Zeppelin and Elvis Costello with something that’s all their own.
As a whole, Little Victories is made up of the same type of material that you could count on from any teenager who dropped out of school to pursue music: sex, drugs, and rock and roll. What is different about The Strypes is that they manage to pull it off. As far as the change in vibes, their first album, Snapshot, did not get very much radio play. So either Little Victories is their attempt at creating a more mainstream sound, or we can attribute the lack of harmonicas to the plain and simple fact that they’re not 13 anymore. Most likely it’s some combination of the two.
“I Need To Be Your Only” starts Little Victories off on a fast note, with Josh McClorey’s guitar and Pete O’Hanlon’s bass working together seamlessly to create a riff that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Ross Farrelly describes his object of desire as being a “happy hour with no last order” among other things with a monotone, yet bouncing rhythm that, again, will be stuck in your head for days.
Lyrically, “A Good Night’s Sleep And A Cab Fare Home” is the most blunt. This track especially demonstrates that these are not the same kids that caught Elton John’s attention all those years ago. McClorey has no issues getting straight to the point as he sings “I think we should get hot and heavy,” and “I’ve got nothing but a keen eye for ya and a need to sin.” Farrelly’s vocals and Evan Walsh’s drums take the lead in this track while guitar and bass churn steadily in the background.
“Scumbag City” and “Eighty-Four” were both released in April as a part of Flat Out, an EP that consisted both of the formerly mentioned songs and their cover of MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams.” I was happy that both tracks made the final cut for the Little Victories, yet in the grand scheme of things, neither particularly caught my attention as I was listening to the album.
“Get Into It” is by far my favorite track off of Little Victories. O’Hanlon kicks off the track with a bassline that practically begs you to jam along to it. Walsh and McClorey join in and the three keep a tight, infectious rhythm that has me tapping my fingers on my laptop even as I write this. The song itself is about online dating, a very modern take on a “love” song that doesn’t sound so ridiculous when coming out of a 17 year-old’s mouth. With lyrics like “Digital introductions fill you with fascination,” Farrelly has every one of their young fans singing along as they reminisce on Tinder matches gone wrong.
“Now She’s Gone” gives off serious punk vibes that make it very easy to ignore the weird looks you’ll get at stop lights as you scream the lyrics along with the track. An upbeat “I don’t give a F***” song, the slightly chaotic nature of the track reminds you that yes, The Strypes are still very young. However, this is one song that I can only imagine sounds completely kickass when played live, as the boys’ youth makes it very easy to pull off the carefree vibe that the entire album gives off.
Overall, I was really excited to hear Little Victories. It’s unfair for people to hold this change in sound against The Strypes, as two years is a LOT of time for a teenager. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up listening to these boys, but I’m very proud of the work that they’ve done thus far, and I can’t wait to hear more from them. Lads, I only have one question for you: when are you coming back to the States?
Rating: 4/5