EP: The Americas – ‘Guitar Music Is Dead’

A long awaited day is finally upon us as The Americas release their debut EP Guitar Music Is Dead.

Over the summer, the Worcester based three-piece have released three tracks off of their EP. ‘Come On Out’, ‘American Morning’ and ‘Rosanna’ were a great insight into what to expect from the six-track EP and only show a fraction of the musical variety The Americas are capable of. They are the band that lay down the anthem-worthy, guitar-fuelled tracks for old souls. Taking influence from a wild range of artists (Bob Dylan, The National, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Twin Peaks and many more) both contemporary and old, they have created a sound that combines 70s rock and roll, blues, and indie with something entirely their own.

Starter track ‘Come On Out’ tells a relatable tale of loneliness and pain, and a desire to fill these holes with substance. The song is filled with catchy guitar riffs and an organ melody that will take you back in time. ‘American Morning’ lightly nods at the struggles of growing up in our generation and romanticises a dazed sense of helplessness. The song, along with ‘Backyard Love Song’ shows a change in lead vocals as guitarist and organist Aaron Whittaker takes over. Usual vocalist Harry Payne has a voice with endless variety and is always trying out different vocal styles. No era of The Americas is ever the same so a new voice is no giant change. It only creates a stronger sense of the band as Whittaker sings the songs he wrote.

‘Bad News’ shakes it up and raises the energy. The song is one every generation can relate to with it’s central idea being the sense of giving everything you’ve got to power and it seemingly never being enough. “You know they won’t stop man, until the day you die”. The beauty of the two guitars in this track, along with the rest of the EP, is what makes the title so ironic. No way is guitar music dead, or even close. It is bands like The Americas that are keeping it alive in its truest form.

Guitar Music Is Dead has been carefully structured to build and lower the atmosphere throughout. ‘Don’t Wanna Go Home’ builds in the latter half and then flows into ‘Rosanna’. It makes it too easy to close your eyes and picture yourself at a European music festival, bouncing up and down with thousands of people under the blazing sun. The Americas’ sound is worthy of big stages and even bigger audiences. Every track varies from the last, showing the incredible talent and individual sound the band is bringing to the table, and this just the start of what The Americas are capable of.

Words and photos: Holly Beson-Tams