Headline Maniac is a brand new band that features members of Eddie And The Hot Rods, and their debut self-titled album is an energetic listen, blending punk with bluesy rock’n’roll.
It’s a good punchy listen, with a great amount of movement to it all, but admittedly the album does lack that ‘special spark’. The songs are good and there’s not much to fault with either the instrumentation or the vocals, but on the other hand it isn’t the most exciting album in a musical sense as there’s nothing that really makes the band stand out from the crowd.
That’s not to say the album isn’t good, or that it doesn’t have its fair share of earworms – because it delivers in both senses. Opener Idiot Me is a catchy little number that will get your foot tapping as you sing along to the massive chorus, and later song Millionaire is a feelgood track featuring a wonderfully emotive vocal performance and a great little guitar solo to boot.
As a whole, Headline Maniac is a good album with the potential to be better- but it certainly isn’t a bad starting point for the band. It will be interesting to see what they try next.
6/10
