Whenever I see a band citing Foo Fighters as a reference point, my heart sinks. They are not as good as people think they are, and they are certainly not as original as they might otherwise have been, considering the band that, to some small degree, birthed them. Just my opinion. Thankfully, they don’t sound that much like Grohl’s sonic posse, and for that, I am grateful. But in the case of McCloud, I would say that the other sonic touchstones they list are much nearer the mark. The Killers, yes. The Cars, yes, yes, yes, yes!
I would also add that amongst the blends of new wave sheen and an old-school rock energy that they seem so deft at weaving together, there is a sort of heartland rock anthemic at work, often just created via the emploring and imposing vocals of Chad Favre, the kind of sound that echoes through early Springsteen albums but which perhaps reached its creative peak with bands like The Gaslight Anthem.
“Movie Script,” taken from their latest EP Look Behind You, is full of killer hooks and the same sort of willfully loose yet spot-on delivery that made bands such as Crazy Horse sound so powerful and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers so cool.
Given the list of iconic bands I needed to guide you, the listener, through McCloud’s sound, you will probably be expecting big things from them. Those are imposing reference points to live up to and big shoes to fill. But, to be honest, McCloud sounds like a band more than capable of accepting such a challenge. Only time will tell but I’m rooting for them.
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