Everybody Wants - Album Review

Like I mentioned on my last post, I was so depressed that March Madness was cancelled due to the Coronavirus that I started my own music tournament on Twitter. In it, I picked 68 songs to compete for the best rock song of the 2010's, and I'd have my followers vote for the winner in each round. Blah blah, you know how tournaments work.

Seeding was mainly based on how the song charted, so when "Could Have Been Me" by The Struts came in as a solid 15-seed, I was thinking they'd be a one-and-done. Of course, that was before I realized that The Struts, surprisingly, have an overwhelmingly powerful fanbase (known as Strutters) that took their 15-seed all the way to the championship, which they won. After dominating massive rock hits (just look at the final scores when they went up against "Pumped Up Kicks", "Way Down We Go", and "Renegades") along the way and seeing how loyal #TheStrutters were to their band made me curious: how can these people love The Struts so much, almost to the point where it's a religion? I've heard a few songs from The Struts, but I needed to listen to one of their albums to really see what all the fuss is about.

The Struts live and die by their '80s glam rock sound, and that's apparent right off the bat in their debut album, Everybody Wants. Songs such as "Roll Up" and "Dirty Sexy Money" have strong Queen melodies dancing in their veins, and even lead singer Luke Spiller sounds and – dare I say – struts his vocal talents in a way that's unmistakably similar to Freddie Mercury. Spiller knows he's talented (I like how he'll casually roll a few R's in a song, just as a way for him to tell you that he can), but his Mercury-esque comparisons and mannerisms aren't mockery.

I look at it this way: Greta Van Fleet sounds indistinguishably alike to Led Zeppelin, to the point where you might ask, "okay, are these guys trying to rip Zeppelin off?" In this scenario, Spiller and his bandmates obviously have inspirations from Queen, but The Struts bring their own unique flavor to their music. Spiller has a vibrancy in his vocals that gives each song an almost anthemic energy, and songs such as "Could Have Been Me" and "These Times are Changing" have inviting lyrics and background chants that make it nearly impossible for fans not to sing along to. No wonder the Strutters have told me that seeing The Struts live is an unimaginably thrilling experience; each song almost sounds like a concert in itself!

(Note: The Struts opened for a Foo Fighters concert I went to in 2017, but I showed up late and missed them entirely. So, technically, I've been to a Struts concert. *Insert guy shrugging emoji*)

Everybody Wants was, all-in-all, an enjoyable listen. There were songs I didn't necessarily care for ("Black Swan" started strong, but fell flat at the chorus, in my opinion), but there were also some songs that were so painfully catchy that I couldn't help having them stuck in my head. The Struts are good at what they do best, which is capturing a nostalgic era of music and adding their own twist that makes their music feel brand new. I'll definitely be checking these guys out in the future. And I'll make sure to show up on time next time they open.

Top 3 Songs:

1. Put Your Money On Me

2. Kiss This

3. Where Did She Go

Rating: 7 rolled R's/ 10