Just over a year ago, Watts announced they were ‘All Done With Rock n’ Roll’.  Despite some hefty rumours claiming there would be no more Watts studio recordings for a while, they’ve returned in double-quick time.

Their new single ‘Queens’ rocks a huge riff.  While still hanging on to their bar-rock roots, the new single has a sense of drive that places Boston’s favourite sons somewhere between The Dictators and Johnny Thunders.  The track continues to be great, weaving in a huge but simple hook and a multi-layered vocal that somehow manages to sound deeper than Watts ever have before, yet retaining a familiar and gravelly quality.

On the flip, another Dan Kopko/John Blout original ‘The Night The Lights Went Down’ returns to the band’s tried and tested Rolling Stones / Izzy Stradlin / Tommy Stinson sound, presenting a swaggering 70s riff coupled with a naturally retro vocal.  Chorus wise, things never quite rise to the promise of the main riff, but with a brilliantly 70s derived guitar solo along the way and more nods to  Keef and Ron, it really grows on the listener in a way that suggests it might eventually find a place among older Watts favourites.

The single is available digitally right now and can be streamed below.