NIPPERTOWN EXCLUSIVE: The Grandstand Jockeys premieres “Better Days (Off the Ground)”, from Debut EP, WIN
Nippertown is pleased to announce another exclusive pre-release: The Grandstand Jockeys’ single, “Better Days (Off the Ground)”, from their debut EP, WIN. Releasing everywhere online on June 18, hear the single here first by clicking on the embedded track! Read below for a review of the forthcoming album.
Often, when making a “first” album, there are a lot of production glitches one can pick up on when listening to the record. While these can make the record genuine, they can also detract from the overall quality of the songs present in the release. I am pleased and impressed this isn’t the case with The Grandstand Jockeys debut EP, WIN.
I’ve known Ron Burris, the bandleader of The Grandstand Jockeys, from his work in other local projects as a drummer for the now-defunct acoustic rock duo Two Guys and punk band The NonCompliants. Right away, we can hear Burris’ meticulous studio mindset with the EP’s opener, “Now You Do.” A rock song that moves at a nice clip, “Now You Do” serves as a nice demonstration of this record’s accessibility to listeners. Not to mention, the saxophone in the background was an unexpected albeit interesting touch to this piece.
Covering several of the common topics in rock music, “My Mind” (track two), is a song that appears baked in topics of frustration toward various avenues of society, oneself, and the politicians that laud themselves as saviors to the previous two. With “Better Days (Off the Ground)” (track three), we get a further look into Burris’ attention to detail with the instrumentation. Featuring supporting keyboard and piano parts in all the right sections, as well as a subtle rhythm change during the bridge, this listener can tell he put a lot of effort into the album’s conception. My favorite track on this EP is its closing number, “Tonight” (track five). This song contains a start-and-stop sense of instrumentation which immediately drew my ear in for a deeper listen. Coupling that with unexpected arpeggiated synthesizers, effective guitar solos and a nice sustained chord to end the piece, it really serves the album well in its concluding role.
While the album sounds great, and has many easily identified influences (this listener heard several glimpses of grunge-era vocal stylings from Burris, as well as other nineties’ rock sounds), it is pretty short. While it being short is not necessarily a bad thing, it did leave me thinking there’d be more to it, but each song and the overall album made its point and made it quickly. Nothing really jumped out of me lyrically, as far as being unique, but it was an enjoyable listen through-and-through. It’s always a good thing, in my view, when new bands – and even more importantly so (to this listener), original bands – emerge in this area. The Grandstand Jockeys, with their debut EP, WIN, have made a great first step, and I am excited to hear more from them in the future. Be sure to listen to WIN, when it releases everywhere music is heard online on June 18. It will be available at all common distributors (Apple Music, Spotify, etc).
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