In case you thought the golden age of riff-driven, rule-breaking rock ‘n’ roll was lifeless and buried, Martin Reynolds is right here to show you unsuitable. With Why Do I?, the Tamworth-based renegade doesn’t simply faucet into the previous—he drags it into the current, kicking and screaming.
The brashy, upbeat momentum by no means falters as Reynolds performs satan’s advocate with playfully Machiavellian vocals, injecting roguish appeal into an earworm constructed to rattle the rafters. Between the swanky piano licks, double bass strains, and horn stabs courtesy of jazz legend Tom “Bones” Malone, Why Do I? is a full-throttle aural pick-me-up for anybody who prefers to get excessive on their very own phrases.
Lyrically, Reynolds lays all of it out—questioning self-sacrifice and the price of placing others earlier than your self. However there’s no wallowing right here; even when he’s grappling with life’s bruises, the defiance stays intact. It’s rock ‘n’ roll at its core—unapologetic, infectious, and completely unshackled from the mundane.
Recorded at Sinewave Studios, blended and produced by Reynolds himself, and mastered by Pete Maher (The Pixies, Jack White, The Rolling Stones), Why Do I? makes it clear that Reynolds and his band, The Minor Detours, are right here to shake issues up. If the previous few years noticed Reynolds step out from behind the drumkit, 2025 is the yr he crops his flag firmly within the floor.
Stream Why Do I? on all main platforms, together with Spotify.
Assessment by Amelia Vandergast