British alternative rock band The Only Route (also known as TOR) play some of the finest, most aggressive guitar-driven rock of any indie act around today. Slicing through the airwaves with wicked riffs, explosive percussion and addictive melodies, their hard-hitting songs never fail to deliver an electrifying listening experience. The Lowestoft, England four-piece consists of Ryan Redwood (vocals, guitar), Robby Hodgey (lead guitar), Andy Kirk (bass) and Matty Larkman (drums).

Since early 2017, they’ve released a series of terrific singles, including the blistering semi-autobiographical “Made” in January 2018, and the fantastic kiss-off “Not Worth It” this past March (a real ripper of a song which has spent the past nine weeks on my Weekly Top 30). I reviewed both of those singles, the links to which you can find under “Related” at the bottom of this page. They’re now back with a new banger of a single “Secrets“, which drops today.

As expected, TOR demonstrate yet again their talent for composing arresting melodies and penning straightforward lyrics based on their real-life experiences, and bringing them to life with their outstanding musicianship. The guitar work is fantastic as always, and Robby’s guitar solo in the bridge is absolute fire. Andy and Matty keep a tight rhythm while Ryan denounces a friend that cheated on his wife, who then left him and ran away from their town, but he kept it a secret. She eventually returns, but is like a stranger to everyone, with a completely different personality: “I looked out your window and saw that she was back. And you’ve got some secrets and they’re really bad./ Why doesn’t she look the same? She said she had changed her name.”

Ryan has a wonderful, commanding voice that’s perfectly suited to their style of hard-driving rock, and is one of the many positive attributes of TOR’s music. Plus I’m a sucker for a good strong British accent that comes through in the vocals. I love this band!

Connect with TOR:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Google Play
Purchase on iTunes