In 2022, Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders recorded a version of Frut’s ‘Prison of Love’ for the Detroit Covers Series, a collection of 7” releases where bands are invited to pair a new recording with a Detroit-based tune of their choosing. No stranger to putting their own mark on other people’s songs, Pat and his band attacked the track with a real gusto, bringing the semi-obscurity to a new audience in style.

Two years on, this twelfth 7” in the Detroit Covers Series not only marks a return to the project for Pat and company – The Rankoutsiders are one of the first bands to record a second entry – but also presents fans with another pair of tracks that shows off their musical range with ease.

The self-penned ‘Down At The End of Your Rope’ is classic Rankoutsiders. It kicks off with a riff that blends roots rock with a garage punk-ish energy, which sets the tone for the next three minutes. It immediately advertises a great sound, but the main riff comes through with even more energy, casting the players in the mould of bands like Bash & Pop, The Dirty Truckers and middle period Replacements, driven by a very early 90s guitar tone. The dual guitar attack from Nick Alexander and Kevin Keller whips up a massive sound, but its never quite massive enough to contain Pat’s voice. Here, perhaps more than ever, he attacks each line of the angst driven lyric in full roar, sharing a country rock twang that’s rough and ready, but without erring on the side of being too raw. It’s very much the sound that The Lost Weekend Band were aiming to capture on their 2024 EP, with some success, but the veteran Todd makes everything seem so more natural. At the point where the track feels as if it has not much more to give, the vocals subside, and a howling lead guitar really captures the spit and sawdust aesthetic brilliantly, setting off a track that’s almost guaranteed to become a fan favourite.

They’ve taken a bit of a left turn when picking the cover tune for this release, but the results captured for posterity are just as thrilling. Moving away from the slightly psychedelic garage rock of Frut, the Rankoutsiders try their hand at covering ‘Little Miss Heartbreak’, written by Jim Boyer and recorded by his band The Newports. The better known recording by Dennis Turner from 1961 is a great piece of rock ‘n’ roll, where the influence from ‘Elvis Is Back’ era Presley comes through in huge waves, especially in the way the voice cuts between the track’s sharp edged guitar lines. Even as late as 2024, and in the hands of Pat Todd, the track still conveys a classic feel. The bass is naturally warmer, and the tempo increased, but the changes bring everything in line to make it a natural fit for The Rankoutsiders. Gruff vocals and fuzzy guitar riffs compliment each other very well, and a rousing lead break accentuates the number’s old rock ‘n’ roll roots. What makes this really work, though, is its transition from classic 60s rock ‘n’ roll sounds into something that sounds more like an overspill from the early 80s rockabilly revival. Granted, it doesn’t have the energy of an upright bass pushing the melody, but the guitar playing is especially on point, and Todd’s country fuelled roar fits the style rather neatly. In some ways, it just ends up sounding like a Rankoutsiders deep cut rather than something sourced from elsewhere, but that just proves that it was the right choice for this release.

With two stylistically different tracks and a whole world of energy, this is another quick but superb blast from Pat Todd. It’s very much aimed at the extant fan rather than the casual observer, but those fans will have every reason to love the edge that cuts through the heart of these recordings. The original cut is actually better than the cover here – even though it’s the cover that’s this 7”s reason for existing – but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it shows The Rankoutsiders to be a band who still feel the music some twenty years into their career. If you’re either a fan of Todd’s or a collector of i-97’s Detroit Series 7” singles, then this will certainly be a welcome addition to your record shelves.

June 2024