HEADBOY’S NEW SINGLE ‘LOYL’ IS THEIR BEST YET

SINGLE REVIEW | headboy – loyl

headboy (all lowercase!), London’s best least-known post-punk trio have released their newest single, loyl, (which stands for ‘love of your life’) today, and it’s their best work yet. Bringing the total count of publicly available headboy tracks to… eight, loyl follows the trio’s debut ep, 2023’s Was It What You Thought, (Blitzcat Records) and a handful of singles in 2022.

heaboy is self-described as “charmingly melodic, disarmingly punk,” and loyl leans strongly into the “charmingly melodic” side of things. It’s catchy, it’s danceable, it’s immediately infectious, and it’s their most accessible track yet. Mars West (they/them, guitar/vocals) and Jess Collins (she/they, bass/vocals) trade off verses, singing airily and sucking you into their daydream. The opening guitar riff grabs hold while the bass-and-drum pulse bounces along. It’s a certified bop, but it wouldn’t be a headboy song without being a little bit off-kilter. The lead riff doesn’t resolve in the third bar, the bridge is all effects and dissonance while Oli Birbeck’s (he/they, drums/silent) dance-inspired-rock drumming swipes left into a breakdown. Deep into the third verse, Collins’ bass picks up the lead riff in the background before West’s guitar follows suit; charmingly subtle, disarmingly pop. It all comes together into a singular, sing-able, pop-forward song that’s headboy’s most listener-friendly tune so far, without compromising on the unique quirkiness that makes headboy’s music so special. It grabs you softly but holds on tight and has you looking for more detail and intricacy on every listen.

loyl is “inspired by a queer speed dating turned Weezer karaoke night. Having imagined life unfolding with everyone in the room, they were left only with the feeling of having “pictured a life with an infinite amount of people”” which is maybe the best meet-cute of idea and melody I’ve ever heard. It doesn’t necessarily explain lines like “we take our limbs off in the shower”, but then again, if everything made sense on first listen, it wouldn’t be a headboy track. And while you’re getting lost in the details, that bittersweet sense of longing and yearning continues to shine throughout, anchoring you in the track’s swaying and punchy melody.

loyl also marks a step forward in production for headboy. Joseph Futak, who also produced Was It What You Thought, does an excellent job of keeping the instruments distinct and separate while also maintaining the gooey one-ness that makes this track more the sum of its parts. The vocals layer on top of each other beautifully, amplifying the unique nature of each of headboy’s lead singers. The drums drive through without overpowering, the guitar sings and the bass is rock-solidly present. It’s all beautifully balanced. If this is a sign of what future headboy releases will sound like, we’re in for a treat.

headboy has been bouncing around London’s indie-punk scene for a few years now, having played 69 shows since summer 2021 (they list all show dates on their charmingly single-page, disarmingly simple website, headboyband.com). They play their 70th show – and, by my count, 4th headline – on Tuesday 12th November at The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston. Northern Exposure will be there, and you can too – tickets are still available here.