Download: WATTS – Seventeen / When The Party Ends

For a band who claimed they were “All Done With Rock N Roll” as 2017 drew to a close, Watts continued to keep themselves busy.   A digital single, ‘Queens’ followed in October 2018 and a new EP ‘Breaking Glass’ kicked off 2019 in their typically retro rock ‘n’ roll tradition.

It’s been a year since the world last heard from Boston’s underground heroes, but they’ve returned with a couple of new tracks that you can download on a “pay what you want” basis.

The first of these, ‘Seventeen’, is truly superb.  Serving up the kind of bar-room riff that would have suited Slim Dunlap in his prime and boosting that with some brilliantly sassy horns that sound as if they’ve been lifted from The Stones’ classic ‘Bitch’, it’s a track with some serious attitude. The Stones-esque swagger comes through heavily throughout – something that’ll thrill fans of the previous Watts material; a lead guitar break values attitude over flashiness and Dan Kopko’s whiskey soaked vocal recalls all of the stand-out moments from Watts’ career defining album ‘The Black Heart of Rock N Roll’.  It might sound a little glib, but in terms of both excitement and timeless appeal, ‘Seventeen’ sees Watts turning in one of their best tunes EVER.

The flip side of this digital double whammy, ‘When The Party Ends’ isn’t quite as sharp, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have its own rough and ready charm.  With more of a mid-tempo mood, the party spirit is absent (as suggested by the hook itself), but between a world of ringing guitars, a forthright vocal and the sound of a band who just fall into such a style naturally, there’s enough charm here to make it a strong addition to the Watts catalogue, even if it seems geared far more towards the big fan.

You can stream both tracks from the Bandcamp widget below.
The download can be grabbed from the Rum Bar Records Bandcamp page.