The Walk Offs “Ready To Roll”

Sometimes you read a description of a band and wonder if someone isn’t just secretly targeting you specifically. That’s the case with The Walk Offs where it was said you’d like them “if you enjoy Bash & Pop, The Replacements or rockin’ Smithereens”.

It’s pretty clear from first song “Unhinged” that The Walk Offs aren’t going to disappoint. There’s a great feeling of ramshackle rock n roll to the song and indeed the title describes its feel pretty well. Similarly songs like “Eyes On You” and “Everything I Do” have a true rock n roll sound to them. They never lose their melodic intent, but have a swagger and carelessness to them that we love.

Kind of like The Replacements you get the feel that The Walk Offs are a bit of a drinking band. That’s plain enough with songs like “Un.Taco.Land”. But you also get the sense that you’d love to hear tracks like “Slim Dunlap” in a dirty bar after a few beers and before a few end of night rums. Songs like “Bus Ticket” just feel like a soundtrack to a messy but fun night.

Funny enough “Ready To Roll” and “Underdogs and Underachievers” reminds us of the brilliant UK band The Dogs D’Amour but perhaps if they’d been brought up on The Replacements rather than Hanoi Rocks and the Rolling Stones. Although, having said that, the bar room lament of “Lonely Goodbye” is right up the gutter streets that the Dogs used to inhabit.

As promised by the band, this is a great rock n roll album. Strangely we seem to have stumbled on a few albums where bands appear to have realised the importance of just delivering great rock songs. Maybe with all the stresses of the world people are again realising the value in playing some loud rock n roll accompanied by a few cold beers. Sometime you really do just need the simple things in life to bring you joy.