We’ll Always Have Vegas, the sophomore EP from London-based alt-rock band Modern Guilt, depicts a fixation with happiness through the lens and stories of an individual in Las Vegas, a pilgrimage to false joy, in search of feeling. The five songs here are a series of snapshot moments across a binge, tales from the feast, and how we remember our lives and the people we encounter. Jaz Dalrymple (vocals, guitar), Andreas Podda (lead guitars, backing vocals), Scott Thomson (drums, percussion, backing vocals, bass), Glyn Evans (organ, piano) and Dan Williams (bass) effortlessly combine stylish confidence with dynamic guitar melodies and infectious hooks.
From the opening tune Talking to Myself it is clear that the musicians focus on making the audience enjoy, clap along and dance, but it is when they slow down the tempo at the end that they seduce the most. The wonderfully titled closing track Gramophone Remedy stands out, chasing melancholic memories that will be with the listener forever: “Yeah I want you to love me, like you see in the movies, like you’ve seen on TV // Yeah I wanna feel lonely, only for a second // That’d mean I had someone, someone waiting I reckon.”
We’ll Always Have Vegas, recorded and produced by Mikey Buckley, is out now digitally and on CD (self-released).
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