Review: Okay You Win ‘End Of Days’
When doing research for acts I would see at this year’s Desertfest, I stumbled across London-based rockers Okay You Win and was immediately grabbed by their energy and reeled in by the catchy hooks on display, making them a must-see appointment.
Witnessing them whip The Black Heart up a storm was a weekend highlight, and I jumped at the chance to review their End Of Days debut, especially as their set had included all bar one of the tracks.
The band formed three short years ago but have gained a reputation on the underground circuit for high-quality shows with their brand of hard-hitting alternative rock. Drawing influences from grunge, desert rock, ’90s alt-rock, and classic British metal, they got a break after gaining the approval of fellow UK rockers Psychlona, who recommended producer Andy Hawkins and The Nave studio to record their album.
Having road-hardened the eight tracks that feature, with evidence of this evolution provided on the EP Live From The Pit serving as a mark of progress and the high bar they set themselves to clear. It also doubles as an indicator of whether the band, who clearly enjoy taking it to the people, could capture the obvious enthusiasm of their live shows.
The answer is a resounding yes, and End Of Days rips out of the speakers with bullish confidence from opener Smoke. After the resonant thump of Antonio Peci’s drums, they launch into an instantly upbeat, infectious, dancing, classic rock chug that is muscular and steeped in rich blues.
This is before they deploy their secret weapon in Dave Kirk. With possession of a fantastically versatile voice, he displays elements of traditional metal that reach the skies but also possesses a gritty swagger that snarls and soars over the fretboard acrobatics of Ryan O’Hare in one of this year’s best earworms. The combative breakdown and the low, smoky allargando before the big finish is pure bombastic theatre.
Powering into Beat Me Down, a choppy, mid-paced stomper that was a major set piece at Desertfest, they open with great interplay between Peci and bassist Rodrigo Barradas before a sensual guitar burn. Over the stripped-down verses, Kirk intones with deliberate, restrained venom before he goes stratospheric with incredible control over his upper register, managing to keep the raw feel going without straying into the histrionic. They keep their hard-rocking credentials intact, balancing an edgy defiance with emotional resonance in a fist-pumping singalong.
The ballad-like The Greatest Lie slows the pace and shows that Okay You Win are much more than a blunt instrument. The tender but pained strains of the introspective noodling pair well with Kirk, who has the freedom to deliver a standout performance on an album that doesn’t lack impressive moments. Built around growing tension, all the players know their role and contribute to slowly turning up the heat to the point where they bury the listener under the track’s emotional weight with the heartbreaking line ‘we just smile’. While still reeling, they let the brakes off, hitting the afterburners on a banging stoner rock groove that becomes an anthem on my favourite track of the year to date.
taking that Sabbath-by-way-of-Kyuss vibe and injecting it with a stadium-ready feel…
This Damned Place brings a swinging metronomic heft, a meandering lead, and captivating storytelling, showing off the band’s grasp of build-and-release dynamics that tease the run-up to the chorus, but opts to keep their powder dry and showcase their musical ability instead of rushing to the big payoff. Barradas’s standout, grumbling basslines make a play for stealing the show here amongst some very strong competition.
The title track snaps back into that desert-dry thunder with Kirk pleading in the lyrics as the band smash all around him in a jaunty, bounding rhythm. Propelled along by the emotive feel of all the musicians right in the pocket, it gives the track real gravitas as the vocalist implores, ‘Is this justice?’. Elements of their sound remind me of Canadian rockers Priestess and the European sounds of Tidal Wave, taking that Sabbath-by-way-of-Kyuss vibe and injecting it with a stadium-ready feel.
The punk speed rush of Red Flag comes out like an alleyway mugging. Alive with a sense of early NWOBHM, there is a machine-gun-like quality to the bouncy pogoing of the guitar lines that are topped off with a stylish flourish. Here the vocal attack is understated and restrained so as not to detract from the direct, in-your-face nature of the track.
Ten Year Trip harnesses their grasp of how to craft a climactic-feeling epic and turns the screws on the brooding, emotional storytelling that sucks you in with a slamming powerhouse number. Eschewing any fancy tricks, they go right for the feels with a grandiose, gut-punching riff and powerful drumming. Once again, the vocals pull you in with their ability to connect on a deep level, never straying into over-the-top territory despite the impressive ability to reach those upper notes.
The final, moody Own It opens with ominous lyrics and warnings of regret that explode into a rallying cry, imploring the subject to change their ways and seek redemption. The understated stick work gives the track an extra layer of sound, and when the band let fly with the drama of the chorus, they ride the crest of this high wave to the end, finishing in style.
There are few debut albums I have enjoyed in recent years as much as I have enjoyed End Of Days, and as someone who has spent more years than I care to state trying to champion great music from these shores, Okay You Win might just be my favourite new band.
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
