Love it or hate it, gruff punk is popular right now and The Stay Gones are riding the wave of the current gruff punk movement. I say current, they owe quite a lot to Hot Water Music in places, but then I guess most of the scene do anyway.
The Stay Gones have recorded 3 tracks of solid, if unspectacular, gruff punk. It isn’t genre defining, it’s genre comfortable, but for a first demo there is enough here to keep you interested. Plenty of gang vocals, some strong melodies. The lead vocals could do with a little tightening up, as they’re fairly weak in places, but melodically the tracks on offer here work quite well.
Worth checking out for fans of the genre, probably not if you’re already unconvinced – nothing here will change your mind. With that in mind, and considering this is a demo The Stay Gones will get an admirable 2 stars, and I really do look forward to their next move.
Kieran