Electric Boys - Shady Side Of Town EP (2025)

Nothing, really, can get me “spanking the plank” – it’s a lyric, get your mind out of the gutter – quite like Electric Boys. Few bands had as big an effect on me growing up as Conny Bloom’s crew, which means any new release from them arrives with a built-in thrill. This EP is no exception.

“Head Honcho” opens things up, with Bloom happily rhyming its title with “poncho” without a care in the world. It’s loose, cheeky and swaggering — exactly the sort of thing they’ve always done better than most.

The Latin-soaked “Grand Explosivos” is both lovely and faintly nefarious, stomping around with the confidence of a band who know exactly what they’re doing. It was the title of their last album, though the track itself never surfaced until now, which makes its inclusion here feel like a long-lost gem finally freed.

And then there’s the funk – that unmistakable Electric Boys groove – right back at the forefront on “Looking For Vajayay.” It slinks, swaggers, and reminds you why this band were always that bit different.

“Keep It Dark” hands lead vocals to “Slim” Martin and veers into a jazz-tinged jam in the middle. It serves as a neat reminder that Electric Boys have always had a mysterious streak, like there’s a secret world just beneath the riffs.

There’s always more fun on the wrong side of the tracks, right? Electric Boys certainly think so. And on this evidence, they’re absolutely right.