I won’t lie- I’ve been listening to very little outside of the new Machine Gun Kelly album. Yes, I realize that I have blasted MGK before in live show reviews but he really nails it on this new album. I have all of the words on the new album memorized and I wouldn’t be surprised if my coworkers do at this point as well. What I am trying to say is I need to find something else to obsess over so I blindly reached into my magic box of albums to review and pulled out ‘Stick To The Plan’ by The Right Here. Was this album going to be able to replace MGK’s new album?
“That’s All We Got And More” kicks this thirteen song album off and I was instantly in love. Sure, it was no Machine Gun Kelly but I was instantly getting The Gaslight Anthem vibes from this opening track and that’s a sound I will never be able to resist. A twangy guitar hides in the background of this track and that’s just the icing on the cake. From the shouty vocals to a driving drumbeat and an upbeat, dancey tempo, this opening track has it all and I instantly forgot everything else going on around me.
The opening track may have caught me but it was “A Letter From The Creator of the Universe” that solidified my newfound love for The Right Here. Although different than the first track, it’s similar and I quickly caught onto the distinct sound that is The Right Here. This second track has a little more punk edge to it but there are still those elements that I would consider “alternative country” scattered throughout. That alternative country vibe comes in front and center with “Judge Me When I’m Sober” which was an instant favorite of mine. Although no band will ever be able to match the sound Lucero has (what can I say, Lucero is all my all-time favorite band… of all time), “Just Me When I’m Sober” has that vibe to it along with mixing a million other sounds in it that I adore.
“Seattle, Breathe” slows things down a little bit but there’s no lack of energy. The vocals in this track seem to take a turn to the raspier side of things which is absolutely perfect and something I hope to hear more of throughout this thirteen song album. Lucky for me, “Darling Make A Scene” gave me more of those raspy vocals and this weird mix of a punk song and slow whiskey-drinking show. Although the song starts off smooth, calm, and collected, it crescendos into a sweaty-pit worthy anthem that had me instantly bobbing my head to the beat.
That infectious beat continues with “‘Til The Wheels Come Off”. My favorite thing about this track is the storytelling of the lyrics. It’s one of those songs that I got completely lost in and, before I knew it, the album was moving onto “Fall Asleep, Hate Yourself, Or Leave” which is a stark contrast from “‘Til The Wheels Come Off” but in the perfect way. “Fall Asleep, Hate Yourself, Or Leave” slows things down completely and it’s a very sweet sounding song with harsh vocals which is kind of my thing. It’s a very Lucero move that The Right Here does in their own way perfectly and, therefore, an instant favorite of mine.
The daydream that “Fall Asleep, Hate, Yourself, Or Leave” had me lost in was abruptly interrupted as “I’ll Show Myself Out” took over my speakers with a vengeance. There’s an almost aggressive edge to this track that is so perfectly understated. Although the music is distinctly that of The Right Here, it brought a whole new vibe to my house that I loved.
“If This Land Isn’t My Land” brings an Americana feel to the album that is hinted at throughout in the previous tracks but never really expanded on. Although this song isn’t my favorite, I love the side of the band that this track showcases. “Drunk And Rolling Around” changed the mood as quickly as “I’ll Show Myself Out” as an almost dark turn into sad, whiskey-drinking songs and, as if my love for Lucero wasn’t a hint, is kind of my thing. A slow and steady beat takes over for this track and, although the notes are almost minimalistic compared to other songs, each note is played for a reason and it’s a beautiful thing. Yeah, this one was a favorite of mine and I definitely listened to it a couple of times before moving on to “Leaving For A Reason”.
“Leaving For A Reason” picks the tempo back up and catapulted me back into a world where The Bottle Rockets and The Gaslight Anthem reign supreme (which is not a bad world if you ask me!). This song would be the one song I would tell people to listen to try and even start to get a feel for this band. I feel like this track had a little bit of everything in it and acts as a culmination of all of the previous tracks. “You Won’t Miss Me” seems to do the same thing as far as bringing in elements from the previous tracks but it emphasizes a dramatic edge of this band. The track starts off slow and sensitive before ramping up into a good ol’ fashioned rock song.
Closing out this amazing album is “One More And Well Move On With Your Lives” which acts as the perfect exclamation point to a stellar album. Although this is the longest track at just about five and a half minutes, it flies by and I was beyond bummed out as the track faded out and I was left in silence.
I don’t know that ‘Stick To The Plan’ is going to make my obsession with the new Machine Gun Kelly album go away but I do know that majority of these tracks will land on the “playlist of my life” for when I finally move on. What a great album with a good vibe and a wholesome feel.
My Favorite Track(s): “Judge Me When I’m Sober”; “Fall Asleep, Hate Yourself, Or Leave”; “Drunk And Rolling Around”; “Leaving For A Reason”– Honestly, I loved all of the songs on this album
For Fans Of: Alt Country with an Edge; Cheap Beer; Passive-Aggressive Aggression
Dance-ability: 6.5 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Both cats laid underneath my desk. I think this was more because of the pizza I was snacking on but I’d like to think they were digging the music
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 9 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 8.2 out of 10
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