Hello Reader,
Welcome back. How are you?
Today we’re going to delve into The Vanrays. You may be familiar with this band if you’ve been to a show in Vancouver or within the southern BC area in the last handful of years. The Vanrays were formed in 2016 by musicians from the Vancouver music scene, proudly calling themselves East Van Soul (often stylized as EastVan Soul). The Vanrays are Spencer McKinnon on vocals, Phil Addington on bass guitar, Brian Barr on guitar, Andrew Samuel on guitar, Eric Lowe on drums and backing vocals, Gordon Rempel on electric piano and organ, Jose Blanco on trumpet, and Melissa Lee on saxophone and backing vocals. All these musicians came together from previous Vancouver bands such as Swank, Polly, The Beladeans, Circus in Flames and 64 Funnycars, over a shared love of Soul and old R&B music.
Their music output showcases that collective love and live shows reflect their musical influences. The Vanrays EP (2019) was their first recorded work and Put It Out (2023) was their first full length album which was delayed a bit due to COVID.
And on Thursday June 8th, their second EP titled, Hey! Alright Now EP has arrived via Bonerattle Records for your listening pleasure. When talking about the album, producer Scott Fletcher said, “Making this EP with the fabulous Vanrays was easily as much fun as making their previous full length! It’s the perfect soundtrack for Tarantino’s lost epic 70s cop movie! I think we really captured the intensity of this amazing soul group and their ability to present a modern twist on the genre. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”
Giving credit where it’s due. Hey! Alright Now EP credits:
- Spencer McKinnon – vocals
- Gordon Rempel – organ & electric piano
- Brian Barr – guitar
- Phil Addington – bass guitar
- Eric Lowe – drums and backing vocals
- Jose Blanco – trumpet
- Melissa Lee – saxophone & backing vocals
- featuring Special Guests:
- Neil Bliss on trombone
- Shelley Preston on backing vocals
- all songs written by Spencer McKinnon and The Vanrays
- produced by Scott Fletcher
- recorded at Park Sound by Dan Ponich and at Three Cat Sound by Brian Barr
- engineered and mixed by Brian Barr
- mastered by Craig Wadell at Gotham City Studios
- album design by Melissa Lee
And now for hype for your ears!
The bonus track itself. This is the lyric video for the song “Ghosts”:
(All credits and rights to The Vanrays)
If you like that song, here’s a link to the EP’s page on Bandcamp page which has the remainder of the EP to listen to and purchase directly from the band.
Overall, Hey! Alright Now EP is a very good offering from the band. It’s got a good helping of soul, rhythm, all the brass and vocals you could want, and some funk sprinkled in. The band is well seasoned in all the best ways, you can tell within the first minute into the song until the last seconds of the final song. Each band member is talented and adds a lot to their sound and vibe. And together the result is a beautiful sound, that’s even better live. The main constant theme of the album is love, in its various stages. But as you can imagine, it’s not overly sappy.
I loved the intro build up and the way the band built the melody instrument by instrument within “Hey Alright Now”. The backing vocals shouts on ‘Hey’ ‘Why’ and ‘alright now’ are a perfect touch and the band has strong infectious energy. Kudos to the composition for choosing to do this and execution of it. It’s catchy and memorable. The lyrics tell of someone who is enthusiastic about what’s next to come.
The following song, “Survivors” has a melody in which the organ, bass guitar and brass section (trumpet and trombone), really shine. There’s a good amount of soul and some funk. The song’s lyrics are about shared experience of resilience.
“Queen of Breaking Hearts” kicks off with some kick drum and the beat of drumsticks purposely hitting the rim of the floor tom (drum). To me, the result is a regimented and familiar military service sounding beat. Even us civilians may equate the cadence. About halfway in there’s a gorgeous guitar twang solo with a lot of soulful playing. The lyrics tell of the titular character with matter-of-fact language, with plenty of sorrow and yet there’s almost admiration of the “Queen”.
“Another Man” screams as a follow up to “Queen of Breaking Hearts” with a melody that starts with the electric piano followed by McKinnon’s passionate shouts and wails of frustration. Catharsis? The vocalizations are followed by a funky interlude led by the brass section and drums. All of which stand out in this tune.
The next song “Lightning” hits the ground running. This song really encapsulates the energy of a live experience with the full band contributing to the melody. There’s a good amount of groove, soul and playful back and forth between the band’s instrumentalists in this song especially between the brass section and the rhythm section. It plays extraordinarily. The electric guitar work in the last minute of the song added some next level funk to the melody. The lyrics are again about love, this time about how one feels about the other person told in chimerical fashion.
“Ghosts” is a slow burner of a jam. McKinnon’s vocals really stand out, over the top of the steady and impeccable rhythm section. The lyrics strongly advocate for the broken hearted, trying to protect others from getting hurt after getting hurt themself. That is reminiscent of Holden Caufield (from Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye) to me in its advocacy and commitment level.
Hey! Alright Now EP gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It’s a very good EP. Among the better offerings within the EP category so far this year. There’s a lot to like about the music and it’ll definitely whet your appetite until the next full-length album arrives in the future. And/or you see them live. The EP has great sound quality. I would recommend adding this EP to your collection. I’m hopeful for a vinyl version as this level of soul needs to heard outside of computer speakers and/or headphones.
Hey! Alright Now EP Track listing (song length)
- Hey Alright Now (3:05)
- Survivors (4:18)
- Queen of Breaking Hearts (4:33)
- Another Man (2:53)
- Lightning (6:06)
- Ghosts (6:06)
Total runtime: 26:58
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The process with this EP if you listen twice from start to finish will take you less than an hour. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
artist website linked right here! which features a nice Meet the Band section. Their linktree with all their socials and latest music is linked right here.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
