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Sam Millar, former Bigfoot guitarist, “Princess” to a select few on Facebook, ardent lover of all things cheesy, is back with a brand new EP to put a Babybel shaped smile on faces during these nutty times. Hell, he’s even talked DJ Dairylea into making a voice-over on the introduction to the EP!
Once DJ Dairylea fades out, it’s into the EP good and proper with ‘Human’, complete with cowbell and the always enjoyable sound of a guitar being plugged in. Def Leppard guitar tones resonate throughout, and a catchy-as-hell chorus that (whisper it) sounds like a ballsier O** D*******n. Harry Styles and the other ones need not worry though; they can’t play guitar like Sam and, as if to prove a point, he throws in a few rather lovely guitar solos to keep the “Rawk” credentials in order.
‘Forbidden’ quickly follows on with some killer power chords. Like ‘Human’ it’s lighter-than-light, but with more of a melodic rock sound rather than the out-and-out pop rock of its predecessor. And again, he pulls some magic riffs out of the top hat.
‘Let It Rain’ is an uplifting, whimsical few minutes that stays on the poppier side of the room. Not so many guitar solos, but the track stands on its own two feet without them, and the end result is quite a major earworm moment.
‘Sober’ comes straight out of the golden era of the ’80s; in certain places you might pick up a slight Toto-esque tinge to the guitars, in other places, Def Leppard. The vocal harmonies hark back to a time when bands like Glass Tiger were never off the airwaves, and it’s easy to imagine ‘Sober’ in heavy rotation straight after ‘Romeo’s Daughter’.
MTV would have loved Sam Millar. Good-looking lad, perfect hair, British accent; I can just visualise a poster of him on Erica’s wall in ‘The Goldbergs’, right next to Def Leppard and Christian Slater.
Closing track ‘Levis’ begins with a corking Billy Duffy-like riff, which also pops up at various points throughout this tongue-in-cheek uptempo melodic rocker. Nothing quite as risqué as Steel Panther, but a cheeky little wink from Sam as he declares “You make me feel like my Levis are too tight”.
‘Radio Gouda’ is a one-man show, totally DIY from top to bottom. Sam has produced five tracks (six if you include the title-track voiceover from DJ Dairylea), which are light, airy, and perfect for Summertime listening. And like last year’s debut EP, ‘Holy Sass’, ‘Radio Gouda’ is good fun and will have the listener smiling and tapping their feet. Job done.
Available June 5th, more information here.
Review – Dave
