Westside Cowboy have unveiled their vigorous new single “Pin Up Boys” and announced a series of live shows at record stores.
“Pin Up Boys” is the second single forthcoming from the Manchester quartet’s debut album It Goes On, scheduled for release on 21 August via Island Records.
The track follows last month’s lead single, “Kick Stones (The Boys)”, described by the band as a “mad, ’70s rock” opener.
Starting with Reuben Haycocks’ vocals against a minimal backdrop, the song swells into a rousing quiet‑loud indie anthem, highlighting the group’s ability to marry classic guitar tones with contemporary flair.
Watch the accompanying video, directed by Jack Shep of Saturday Night Live UK, below:
Speaking about the track, the NME 100 alumni said: “‘Pin Up Boys’ was written a year and a half ago using an acoustic guitar, a drum‑machine sample pad, and some screwdrivers as drumsticks. It is by far the longest‑serving song on the album and the one that we have played the most live, which was a blessing and a curse when we came to record.”
“After realising this song was set in its ways, we thought the recording should be a somewhat faithful version of the live performance. We hope you get something out of it.”
The album’s production is handled by Loren Humphrey, whose credits include Geese, Cameron Winter, and Wunderhorse, recorded at Greenmount Studios in Leeds.
The band have also confirmed a run of record‑store shows surrounding the album’s release. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, 2 July, and the dates join the previously announced UK and European tour, detailed below.
AUGUST
19 – Brighton, Resident
20 – London, Rough Trade East
25 – Leeds, Jumbo
27 – Liverpool, Rough Trade
SEPTEMBER
3 – Nottingham, Rough Trade
4 – Glasgow, A Lot
NME spoke to the band for The Cover this February, where they discussed the creation of their debut single “I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)”.
“For us, Westside was all about bringing the fun back into music,” vocalist/guitarist Reuben Haycocks said. “In songwriting, we were taking everything a little less seriously. As soon as we stopped putting loads of pressure on ourselves to make something great, the stuff that came out felt much more authentically us.”
