Rhode Island rockers Last One Out is living the rock ‘n’ roll fairy tale. Formed in college just a few years ago, the quartet fine-tuned their songs before entering local radio station contests and doing well enough to build a name for themselves. This in turn led to their first EP Lover’s Trance, which netted them a win in Boston’s ‘Hard Rock Rising’ contest. Further success came in licensing from over a dozen TV shows, not to mention a firm legion of fans.
But really, none of this matters if the songs don’t hold up, right? For their follow-up EP, the band took inspiration from their time spent at the prestigious SXSW festival where they were in the company of literally thousands of bands equally hungry for a piece of the rock ‘n’ roll pie. So they did what any hard working, dedicated band would do – they reinvented their sound, this time placing more stock on a grander, stadium rock template while still keeping their hooks and catchy melodies in check.
The EP starts off with “Favorite Van Gogh,” which begins like The Killers but builds into a fully charged rocker with thundering percussion and driving guitars. The song has hit single written all over it; it’s memorable and energetic with strong vocals. “The Calvary” follows and slows down the pace but adds well-executed piano melodies. While it has some louder moments, this solid alt-rock spirited tune is a more reserved offering with very meticulous musicianship. “Hardwiring” starts off as one of the softest tracks but quickly approaches harder textures, and again, the pianos are used sparingly but effectively. It almost sounds like a mixture of the first two tracks – anthemic yet also with restraint. The EP closes out with “Like A Crown,” a more indie rock slanted song with a much different angle than the previous three. It shows a whole different dimension to the band and adds much to the EP.
The four tracks here reinstate these guys as one of the best rising rock bands out of the Northeast. Sounding nostalgic yet modern and able to rock in both the hardest and cautious ways, these guys could fill arenas but also have a sound tailor made for an intimate club setting. Whether your genre of choice is alt-rock, hard rock, or college rock, you’re going to find something here to enjoy.
