Wolverhampton's Ryan Evans, The Punk Poet EP - review

There is a real feeling of a fresh start for Wolverhampton musician Ryan Evans in his new EP.

The 25-year-old singer-songwriter is enjoying a renaissance right now as the band he enjoyed success with previously - The Clocktower - are also back on the circuit. So it feels within this five-track collection that he is pretty happy with life right now.

It shines through in the pop-rock sensibilities of Move Along. Rising guitar melodies combine with precision percussion to craft a tantalisingly foot-tapping track that will prove popular in his live sets.

It's the real big hitter of the EP, and you can't help but buy into that infectious happiness beaming out at you from within.

The title track also belies a swagger that will only come from feeling comfortable with your direction and sound. Ryan previously said he wanted to “bring back the sound of the old 70s glam and soul records", "paying homage to bands like T. Rex and local legends Slade". And nowhere else does this shine through more than here.

There's a romping melody throughout, off-kilter drums and Evans' bouncing vocals dancing almost nonchalantly hand-in-hand from start to finish. As the sun pokes through winter on a more regular basis now, this is the perfect accompaniment for such changes in climate.

We can put on our more serious masks for You Don't Know My Name. While still sounding relatively carefree as Evans' guitars growl out at us, the sombre levels are turned up a notch for this tale of anonymity and strife.

We've also got some laid back acoustic feels in Old School. This is one of those quietly vulnerable numbers where Evans strips back the layers to turn crooner for us. Snarling less, he sounds a little like David Gray as he opens up a window into the softer side of his songwriting.

We hope Evans can continue this groove in his songwriting. The overall friendliness and warmth given off through the music could do with being shown a bit more by wider society in the current uncertain times.

Rating: 6/10

Ryan Evans is at Wolverhampton's Slade Rooms supporting Ian Prowse & Amsterdam on May 18