The Petty Saints
By Mike O’Cull
San Diego rock and rollers The Petty Saints give the world a dozen songs full of big guitars, cool melodies, and stirring lyrics on the band’s debut album Long Way Home. The record meets the street July 30th, 2021 on Dark Horse Coffee Records and will be of great interest to anyone into blue-collar Americana rock informed by folk, punk, and country. This is no sleepy, back porch record, however. The Petty Saints play as if their very existence was at stake and hit these fervent tunes with a sense of urgency not often seen in our current era of “good enough” music. Great rock music requires True Believers and The Petty Saints come off as exactly that. The band pulls from all the records they’ve ever heard and distills those ingredients down into a fresh, kinetic style with classic roots.
The Petty Saints began when British singer-songwriter Ciaran O’Reilly relocated from London to San Diego in 2016, bringing his talent for crafting deeply expressive lyrics along with him. He soon connected with guitarist Brett Reeves, bassist Daniel Shane, and drummer Matt Yansch and set to work. The group burst onto the San Diego rock scene in 2018 with the EP Wild Young Love, also on the Dark Horse Coffee Records imprint. The song “Troublemaker” from it blew up locally and was nominated for Song Of The Year at the 2019 San Diego Music Awards. This new record was produced during the COVID pandemic and reflects the uncertainty and upheaval of that global experience. “The record as a whole though takes us on the personal journey of breaking points, heartache and dissatisfaction that we all go on to find our own place in this world,” says O’Reilly and you’ll feel each step of it from your first encounter with the album.
The Petty Saints start Long Way Home with the single “Clean Hands And Guilt.” It’s an immediate blaster with an easy-to-remember guitar hook and strident, impassioned vocals from O’Reilly. His writing seems based in the plain-spoken might of Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash and he delivers his high-velocity truth without flinching. The rest of the band smokes out, too, in a cathartic way that will have you quickly cranking up the volume. “Whiskey & Damned” keeps the rock coming, driving a tough floor tom beat through more hit-single melodies and strikingly honest lyrics. Both of these first two tracks cruise by at brisk tempos but focusing in on O’Reilly’s lyrics and delivery will yield a big payoff. He has the gift, simple as that.
“Anymore” is a haunting mid-speed song about settling, disillusionment, and the day-to-day real life blues. The track builds pressure over time and finally breaks open just as many people do in similar situations. The lyrics use a female character to tell their story but this cut could be about a whole lot of us. Fine, dramatic work.
“London In The Rain” puts down a heavy atmosphere that smoothly makes its way to an epic chorus. Guitarist Brett Reeves contributes some sweet lead playing throughout the track with a tone sure to spawn many imitators. He has the touch for this kind of material and comes across like a next-generation Mike Campbell who never loses sight of the song at hand. Other essential cuts on the album include “Only The Good Die Young” and the closer “If We Don’t Know By Now.” The latter song is a hushed acoustic number that finishes the record with a bit of social commentary that will leave listeners with much food for thought. The Petty Saints have plenty of talent and old-school rock magic and deliver it with modern attitude and impact. If your passion is straightforward greatness, get this record into your ears.
Watch “That’s A Lie”
The Petty Saints Online
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