In a world filled with great music and with new rock bands appearing on the scene weekly, chances are, you’ve not heard of Sleazy Money…yet. The British rock band have been making inroads into a career on a run of hard rock singles beginning with 2024’s ‘Problem Since Day 1’, a track which very much laid down the Sleazy Money blueprint with a barrage of tough riffs borrowing the energy of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with the all round sleaziness of the US glam scene from 1987. In just four minutes, it was immediately clear that the marriage between Connor Palmer’s tough vocals and Joe Florence’s incendiary guitar riffs provided a solid union, and with the presence of a really tight rhythm section, the band were capable of whipping up some seriously old school melodic metal thrills.

More importantly, this wasn’t a flash in the pan, or a one-shot deal. Subsequent singles ‘Shoot From The Hip’ and ‘Lucky 13’ showcased a similarly tough sound and a welcome jolt of nostalgia capable of taking the listener straight back to Tommy Vance’s classic Friday Rock Show on Radio 1 circa 1990.

The band’s current single ‘It Ain’t EZ’ opts for a slightly sleazier feel, but doesn’t skimp when it comes to sharing a massive melodic metal crunch. A very 80s guitar riff is underscored by a crashy drum line (courtesy of Morgan Price) to create an attention grabber of an intro, before everything slides into a verse that captures even more of a confident swagger. The union between the vocals and guitar work is as strong as before – and the way Joe punctuates the main riff with a couple of piercing notes makes a busy arrangement sound even more urgent – but it’s on the chorus that the band really springs into life. Here, the metallic elements are joined by a gang vocal to sell a shout along hook, steering everything a little further from British metal and into the realms of the rough and ready with a pinch of influence from latter day Rose Tattoo.

For those looking for something a little darker, there’s also a great instrumental break, where Sleazy Money dive into a proto-grungy groove (led by some solid bass work from Franky Cross), which helps to make ‘It Ain’t EZ’ feel like one of the most well-rounded Sleazy Money arrangements to date.

It’s all fairly simple, but therein lies the charm: this is very much designed to rouse a live audience, and the track’s climax, featuring Connor in full roar, confirms that the focus here is on how raw the band can sound, and if this is your first listen to Sleazy Money and you like what you hear, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll be circling back for a listen to their earlier tracks in no time.

You’ll be hearing more from these guys before the year’s out, but in the meantime, check out the video for ‘It Ain’t EZ’ below.