“Some days I’m flying high I’m falling low, some days I’m made of gold I’m made of stone.”
Walking On Cars may be stranger to few in the indie music scene. Their cinematic sound has helped them build up quite a name, winning them the Redbull Bedroom Jam and reaching #1 on the iTunes Irish Charts. After much anticipation, their debut album Everything This Way was released on January 29th, and I must say, it was well worth the wait.
The first song I heard off the band was “Catch Me If You Can,” the album opener. The moment Patrick Sheehy’s voice reached my ears, I felt shivers travelling down my spine. It is not debatable that this man has a pipe extremely unique. Raspy and gritty, it is his voice that many fans were first attracted to and it is no surprise why when you begin noticing his incredible vocal range and its perfect fit with the anthemic sound frequently present in Walking on Cars’ tracks.
Another signature to their sound is the nice blend of eclectic offbeats, keyboard melodies and guitar accompaniments. Walking on Cars is as amazing as they are because they somehow manage to find a way to meld together music of different styles and incorporate their individually diverse sounds into one. Individually, you can differentiate the different styles each member of the band brings to the table. But together, they are pretty much unstoppable.
Everything This Way in its entirety is a stunning album and is the epitome of what Walking on Cars stands for. The album has something for everyone. Starting off with the pumped up anthem “Catch Me If You Can”, the album slowly progresses with more emotional tracks like “Two Stones” and “Ship Goes Down”, including their latest single “Speeding Cars,” before moving on to more love-centric songs. “Tick Tock,” a song about leaving someone so you can fix yourself, with its highs and lows is an emotional rollercoaster of a song and definitely one of their best.
Despite the fact that a majority of the songs have been released prior to the album, in the form of singles and their EP Hand in Hand, the remaining tracks certainly did not disappoint. While retaining their signature Walking on Cars sound, they still manage to bring something new to the table. “Flying High Falling Low,” for one, is a painful and convictive tune, perfect for when you feel you are at your wits’ end. The last track off the album, “As We Fly South,” manages to invoke a sense of nostalgia within its listeners, ending the album off on a heartening note.
Lyrically, the album shows off their knack for song writing as well. Often, many of their tracks are about love, self-reassurance and the inner struggles we all face. Maturity also shines through in their sound, helping these tracks take on a more counseling approach.