Yes Way Double Bubble Toil and Trouble Brings Traditional Rock Swagger To Independent Music

When you hear the words “independent” rock, you immediately either imagine the emo and indie crowd. Some may even have visions of the late 1990s hardcore revolution that saw huge growth in several markets. So when I tell you that the band Yes Way is a rock and roll independent band, you may get the wrong idea. These guys are putting together traditional rock, ok, maybe not “traditional” in the sense that there is a standard, but something worth listening to none the less.

Yes Way has done something cool here, they’ve infused straight forward rock sounds with blues into a driving force on “Double Bubble Toil and Trouble”. If you were to go back in time when rock radio featured bands like Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, and what are now known as classic rock icons, you would find these guys fitting in really well. They have tapped into the iconic vein of straight forward rock and could definitely fit in between early Aerosmith and even classic AC/DC, which is not easy to do.

A lot of bands try to be something that they are not, and curve their sound to fit whatever is trendy, and these guys aren’t one of them. That plays to their favor as they bring out some classic rock glory in a new way. It’s straight forward, it’s thoughtful, it’s rocking without heavy production and flash. It’s about as raw and real as you can get without trying to put the band into a box.

The album kicks off with a few catch tunes “Rice and Ketchup”, “Anchorman” and “Plug Me In”, which all can be singles, but it’s not until you get to “Ya Y’Know” when these guys really start to get great. With a slick intro and a good rocking riff coming through, this song very well could’ve been a huge hit a few years back, and it still can be great. It reminds me of a tune Audio Adrenaline was doing on “Some Kind of Zombie”, only this has more punch in the chorus, and that’s a great testament to the sound these guys deliver.

I know I’ve pushed the “rock” label a great deal with this release, but they sure do more than that. For instance there is a bit of blues and even country thrown into the mix like on “Fortunate Time”. Not to be left behind, the band plows through the first 10 tracks with reckless abandon and great highs and lows. They are well crafted songs and pack a good punch. That’s where most bands would call it a release, but for Yes Way, that’s just the beginning because they have more music for you to enjoy.

It’s easy to put in too much music on a release, especially for independent bands. Hip hop artists get into this problem a lot, but reviewers often times leave them alone. I was almost going to give these guys that card, too much music, one release, and then the turned a corner. With the track “Gold” they sold me. The track is catchy, starts a bit slow, but leads you down an eclectic path that sews up this record and gives you a bit more gusto.

Yes Way is what happens when you mix The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and a little bit of country like Highwaymen, and put them into a blender. You get an eclectic mix of blues, rock, and even some funk with the bass lines. This hard rocking album feels like it’s a revival of the late 1960s and mid 1970s rock music coming off of Atlantic Records. Crank this, and fix your old Mustang, because it feels like something your dad would love, but it’s very much modern. I found myself enjoying this thoroughly, through 20 tracks of pure rock. It’s incredible to hear bands going their own way with music, and while bringing ethos from the past, still presenting something new for fans of the genre. This is an interesting record, that is worth a listen or two or hundreds.

You can check out this record and more from the band by clicking here for their official page. It’s a good one, and definitely surprised me.