{"id":2095453,"date":"2026-08-14T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095453"},"modified":"2026-08-14T08:00:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:00:57","slug":"westside-cowboy-it-goes-on-review-manchesters-newest-guitar-heroes-put-an-arm-around-your-shoulder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095453","title":{"rendered":"Westside Cowboy \u2013 \u2018It Goes On\u2019 review: Manchester\u2019s newest guitar heroes put an arm around your shoulder"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Westside-Cowboy-Credit-Clementine-Schneidermann.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Westside-Cowboy-Credit-Clementine-Schneidermann-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Westside Cowboy It Goes On Review\" title=\"Westside Cowboy Credit Clementine Schneidermann\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Westside Cowboy. Credit: Clementine Schneidermann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Westside Cowboy \u2013 \u2018It Goes On\u2019 review: Manchester\u2019s newest guitar heroes put an arm around your shoulder<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The rock\u2019n\u2019roll quartet meet the hype with a calm and collected approach to their debut album that trusts their collective gut and searches for peace<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">4<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Rishi Shah<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T09:00:57+01:00\">14th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Ever since their triumph at Glastonbury\u2019s Emerging Talent Competition in April 2025, you\u2019ll have struggled to find a buzzier British guitar band than Westside Cowboy. Packing out multiple sets at The Great Escape 2025, the Manchester-formed group were soon tied down to Island Records, Wildlife Entertainment (Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C.) for management in 2026 and thrown into tours with Black Country, New Road, Blondshell and Geese. Suitably, the former <i>NME Cover<\/i> stars\u2019 self-proclaimed \u2018Britainicana\u2019 sound feels neatly perched between those three artists.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: On\u00a0<em>The Cover<\/em>: Westside Cowboy\u2019s fun-loving indie rock comes straight from the heart<br \/><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What arguably makes the quartet\u2019s bog-standard concoction of bass, drums and guitars so heartfelt and immediate is their chemistry. Somewhere between a slick pub-rock band and four overexcited university students running off instinct \u2013 as they recently were \u2013 their shows radiate both joy and professionalism. Aoife Anson O\u2019Connell (bass), Jimmy Bradbury (guitar) and Reuben Haycocks (guitar) all trade lead vocals; coupled with Paddy Murphy\u2019s impassioned drumming, they are a band who visibly give 110 per cent for one another.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Recorded in Leeds with producer Loren Humphrey, Westside Cowboy\u2019s debut LP \u2018It Goes On\u2019 doesn\u2019t rip up the rulebook of their identity. In many ways, it\u2019s the album you expected them to make; the most comprehensive statement of the alt-country, indie and rockabilly worlds that shaped them. Having extensively road-tested \u2018Pin Up Boys\u2019 and \u2018Kick Stones (The Boys)\u2019 alongside their first two EPs, those two singles neatly carry the baton forward, and the latter\u2019s intoxicating momentum will put a smile on your face.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Westside Cowboy - Pin Up Boys\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RRI0tuDiyy4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>While the <i>\u201cbig wheels\u201d<\/i> of time keep on turning, \u2018It Goes On\u2019 utilises friendly, straightforward imagery to capture the ambiguity of modern life. Blockbuster DVDs (\u2018Big Wheels\u2019), paperchains and rocks who <i>\u201chave grown hands to reach out for each other\u201d<\/i> (\u2018Coyote\u2019) are nuggets of the world\u2019s simple pleasures that momentarily shut out the uncertainties of young adulthood \u2013 and perhaps also this new lifestyle that still \u201cnever feels quite certain and real\u201d, as they told <i>NME<\/i>. As they spell out: <i>\u201cWe are a worried age\u201d<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>On album closer \u2018You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor\u2019, the band make their peace with the panic: <i>\u201cI am everything but perfect \/ But I\u2019m trying\u201d<\/i>. This mission statement for \u2018It Goes On\u2019 mirrors a band making sense of their sound, allowing it to breathe in real time, instead of pursuing some flawed perfection. And in a world of optimisation freaks and pressure to have yourself figured out, this down-to-earth debut is everything it needs to be.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Westside-Cowboy-It-Goes-On-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"westside cowboy it goes on review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Island Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 21, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Indie<\/li>\n<li>Westside Cowboy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Listen to Phoebe Bridgers\u2019 hidden \u2018Lost Weekend\u2019 track \u2018Best Dressed\u2019, featuring former Black Country, New Road singer Isaac Wood<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch The Strokes play \u2018Lonely In The Future\u2019 in full live for the first time in Tokyo<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Johnny Marr shares \u201cbrilliant answer\u201d he got from Paul McCartney about the break-up of The Smiths<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Phoebe Bridgers leads fans around roller-skating rink at \u2018Lost Weekend\u2019 listening party<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The Reytons score Number One album \u201cwithout a single play on mainstream radio\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Fontaines D.C. preview new single \u2018Marianne\u2019 and confirm fifth album is incoming<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Ever since their triumph at Glastonbury\u2019s Emerging Talent Competition in April 2025, you\u2019ll have struggled to find a buzzier British guitar band than Westside Cowboy. Packing out multiple sets at The Great Escape 2025, the Manchester-formed group were soon tied down to Island Records, Wildlife Entertainment (Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C.) for management in 2026 and thrown into tours with Black Country, New Road, Blondshell and Geese. Suitably, the former <i>NME Cover<\/i> stars\u2019 self-proclaimed \u2018Britainicana\u2019 sound feels neatly perched between those three artists.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: On\u00a0<em>The Cover<\/em>: Westside Cowboy\u2019s fun-loving indie rock comes straight from the heart<br \/><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What arguably makes the quartet\u2019s bog-standard concoction of bass, drums and guitars so heartfelt and immediate is their chemistry. Somewhere between a slick pub-rock band and four overexcited university students running off instinct \u2013 as they recently were \u2013 their shows radiate both joy and professionalism. Aoife Anson O\u2019Connell (bass), Jimmy Bradbury (guitar) and Reuben Haycocks (guitar) all trade lead vocals; coupled with Paddy Murphy\u2019s impassioned drumming, they are a band who visibly give 110 per cent for one another.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Recorded in Leeds with producer Loren Humphrey, Westside Cowboy\u2019s debut LP \u2018It Goes On\u2019 doesn\u2019t rip up the rulebook of their identity. In many ways, it\u2019s the album you expected them to make; the most comprehensive statement of the alt-country, indie and rockabilly worlds that shaped them. Having extensively road-tested \u2018Pin Up Boys\u2019 and \u2018Kick Stones (The Boys)\u2019 alongside their first two EPs, those two singles neatly carry the baton forward, and the latter\u2019s intoxicating momentum will put a smile on your face.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Westside Cowboy - Pin Up Boys\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RRI0tuDiyy4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>While the <i>\u201cbig wheels\u201d<\/i> of time keep on turning, \u2018It Goes On\u2019 utilises friendly, straightforward imagery to capture the ambiguity of modern life. Blockbuster DVDs (\u2018Big Wheels\u2019), paperchains and rocks who <i>\u201chave grown hands to reach out for each other\u201d<\/i> (\u2018Coyote\u2019) are nuggets of the world\u2019s simple pleasures that momentarily shut out the uncertainties of young adulthood \u2013 and perhaps also this new lifestyle that still \u201cnever feels quite certain and real\u201d, as they told <i>NME<\/i>. As they spell out: <i>\u201cWe are a worried age\u201d<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>On album closer \u2018You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor\u2019, the band make their peace with the panic: <i>\u201cI am everything but perfect \/ But I\u2019m trying\u201d<\/i>. This mission statement for \u2018It Goes On\u2019 mirrors a band making sense of their sound, allowing it to breathe in real time, instead of pursuing some flawed perfection. And in a world of optimisation freaks and pressure to have yourself figured out, this down-to-earth debut is everything it needs to be.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Westside-Cowboy-It-Goes-On-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"westside cowboy it goes on review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Island Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 21, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/westside-cowboy-it-goes-on-review-3962557&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Westside-Cowboy-Credit-Clementine-Schneidermann.jpg&#8221;] Westside Cowboy. Credit: Clementine Schneidermann ReviewsAlbum Reviews Westside Cowboy \u2013 \u2018It Goes On\u2019 review: Manchester\u2019s newest guitar heroes put an arm around your shoulder The rock\u2019n\u2019roll quartet meet the hype with a calm and collected approach to their debut album that trusts their collective gut and searches for peace 4 By Rishi [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2095453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2095453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095453\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2095453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2095453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2095453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}