ALBUM REVIEW: Eddie & The Wolves - Tasty Sin

There is an unstoppable avalanche of decent music coming our way these days. It pours forth like a tsunami, and it’s often a challenge merely to catch some of the good stuff as it rushes past. It happens in all genres, but blues rock seems to be particularly prolific these days. Keeping up is nigh on impossible, so why bother. Grab what you can and see what you find. The modern day musical lucky dip. Not ideal for those hardworking musicians but this is one saturated market. 

I’d never heard of Eddie & The Wolves prior to this promo landing in the in-box. Hailing from Derby, the quintet comprises Edd Saffell - Vocals, Guitar, Synth, Char Saffell - Vocals, Percussion, Synth, Joe Griffiths - Bass Guitar, Cain Paisley – Guitar and Ben Gaines - Drums & Percussion. 

Nine songs spread across 30-minutes suits my failing attention span these days, and Tasty Sin overall does the job well. All songs are written by the husband-and-wife partnership, with Edd also handling production duties. It’s a well-executed record, full of heart, soul, and emotion. Although it has roots deep in the classic rock stable, with a range of influences from Aerosmith to the Black Crowes to Elles Bailey and Joanne Shaw Taylor all evident across the release, there’s still a modern stamp on the release. There is clever use of percussion, synths and programming to add depth to the songs, providing a merger of richness that is enough to get the head nodding and the feet tapping. 

There’s the vibrancy of the lead single, The Devil’s Wrong, But Not to Blame, the thick keys that add to Different Kinda Girl that sees Char’s smoky vocals take the lead alongside a big stomping beat, and the pop-rock of Voodoo, with its Wolfmother / White Stripes vibe. Inevitably there’s a slower, semi-ballad and it appears in One Night, possibly my least favourite here, although the blues guitar work and shuffling drumming works is impeccable from start to finish. It’s this type of track that will inevitably draw comparisons with Mr & Mrs Bond of When Rivers Meet, and whilst there are similarities, it would be lazy to compare them too much, for these are two separate outfits. 

Tasty Sin has a story behind it, and you can hear some of the couple’s more personal feelings and views throughout. There are a few songs that don’t excite, such as Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us, which is just a little too sweet for my tastes. It’s the harder edges tracks that work better for me, and that means that Tasty Sin is a little front loaded, with the rockier songs coming early. It does finish with the dramatic emotion of Crawling, which is as big and outlandish as anything on the album. I enjoy the interplay between the couple, Char’s vocals winning the vote for me. 

Can Eddie & The Wolves fight their way to the surface in the race to the top? Tasty Sin is a well-crafted and performed album with plenty of interesting elements. Whether that will be enough is arguable but there is certainly something here that promises bigger things. 

You can catch Eddie & The Wolves in the autumn at the following shows: 

06 Sept - Whitwell - Whitwell Festival 

07 Sept - Eastwood - D.H. Lawrence Music Festival 

21 Oct - Derby - The Hairy Dog (w/ Kim Jennett, The Howling Tides) 

26 Oct - Heanor - HStock 2024

Tasty Sin is released on 13th September via Revolver Records

Review by Hutch