In a musical landscape in which there is a constant discussion centered around musicians finding success from handouts, privilege and industry connections, East London band The Howlers must have missed the memo. Since forming in 2019, the band has had enough turbulence to cause any self-respecting musician to put their instruments down and find a proper job with their tails firmly between their legs. In the five years it has taken for their debut album ‘What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All’s creation, the trio has had to sue their original manager while also weathering the storm of lineup changes and life-threatening illnesses. In 2022, vocalist Adam Young found himself staring down the barrel of not just the end of his musical project but also the end of his life, almost succumbing to two stress induced strokes. Yet, in the midst of a traumatic stretch on both a personal and work-related front, The Howlers now find themselves with a debut album that perfectly encapsulates not only everything they have been through but also how they have made it through the other side.
While London’s music scene is currently dominated by a wide variety of post-punk and avant-garde art-rock bands, The Howlers sound leans more desert-rock, a welcome change to a scene that is due for a much-needed rejuvenation. With fuzzy bass-lines, middle-Americana guitar tones and Young’s rugged vocals, both the visual and sonic aesthetic that the band presents themselves with is distinctly American. Without context it would be easy to think that The Howlers are much more East Memphis then they are East London, yet their noticeably different sound is a key reason of why their debut album grabs your attention and never lets it go over the course of a brilliant forty-three minute run.
Opener ‘How Long’ is an early indication of Young’s knack for writing big, festival-ready choruses, as his construction of melody around soulful yet intricate instrumental passages are given centre-stage. ‘El Dorado ’ follows this trend, as samba-like trumpets are utilised on a track that has its name taken from the term used by 16th century Spaniards to describe mythical tribal chiefs. The grandiose production choices and instrumental refrains throughout the song really showcase how unique The Howlers are from any other band currently on our shores whilst also leaving you scratching your head at how a debut album has arrived with its ideas and aesthetics so fully formed. However, even when the production is stripped back, the trio are still able to encapsulate the mantra of the desert, showcasing the strength of Young’s songwriting. ‘Cowboys Don’t Cry’, a touching tribute to the singers mother perfectly encapsulates The Howlers mission statement, touching on trauma and their troubled past wrapped up with an Americana panache. ‘Stronger for each and every single tear I ever cried / Now and then I forgive my sings, my only crime’ sings Young with a vocal performance that sits somewhere in the middle of folk artist Passenger and Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill. Likewise, the gentle ‘Wanting, Waiting, Wishing’ has a hint of fellow East-London music scene graduate Marcus Mumford, as Young trades away beefed-up guitar tones for a more sombre acoustic progression, showcasing the duality of The Howlers as a band.
Elsewhere, ‘Once Again’ provides The Howlers their dancefloor-filler as Young jumps from syllable to syllable with a swagger and ease that adds another bow to his cap as a frontman. Yet, the highlight of the driving anthem comes within the bridge, as guitar stabs reminiscent of an engine being started are followed by a kick-drum heavy passage, ultimately leading to a euphoric final chorus that will no doubt be a centrepiece of the trio’s live-show for years to come. Later in the album, the hopeful penultimate track ‘When The Flowers Bloom Again’ has Young acknowledging his past trauma from the perspective of the clarity time has given him. ‘Don’t ever say I gave up when things got tough / seek / and you will find exactly what you want is not enough’ croons Young over the reassuring ballad, which may have been the perfect sentiment to end the album on if it wasn’t for The Black Keys inspired closer ‘Take It Easy’. You can’t help but think that the pulsating, sunkissed anthem has the trio metaphorically winking at the audience, as Young acknowledges that despite the celebration that should come with releasing a debut album, ‘the job isn’t done’.
For many bands that have been confronted with the turbulence that the three-piece from East London have faced, just getting a record on shelves could have been seen as the ultimate victory. However, there is an unmistakeable swagger from a band that is unlike anything we have on British shores currently. Venturing in-between dancefloor fillers and vulnerability whilst wearing their middle-Americana influences on their sleeve, The Howlers debut ‘What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All’ has arrived fully-formed and it can’t be long before audiences from both sides of the pond begin to take note.
Words By Romesh Cruse