Punk-Rocker Rob Lynch took time out between November 2012 and August 2013 to record tracks in Philadelphia with Shane Henderson (Valencia) and Hoxton, East London with Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly), that would go on to make up his full-length album. The result has been an honest and intimate record, which fans and any music lover will grow to love. A short, but sweet intro with ‘31/32’, which encompasses a sense of hope, especially with the live audience backing. Lynch sets the tone for a welcoming album, and one filled with honesty and hope. Rob has commented on the opener himself and said: “[it is] a call to arms about enjoying the moment we’re living in.”
Continuing on ‘Broken Bones’ and ‘My Friends and I’, carries the optimism over, with jolly chanting and raw strings amongst a simple beat – but it is the simplicity of the lyrics and the ingenuity of the set up. Lynch manages to accumulate something special in each track in his sound. To sing about the things we all feel, and of course, have all heard about before. But he does so in a way that gives the ordinary a fresh vibe. Similar traits and sounds of Frank Turner, who will get you bopping along, singing his lines in unity, lines both of sad realism but a striving hope for the better.
‘Whiskey’, which is also Lynch’s newest single, includes a more sentimental tone. On talking about the latest track Rob said: “This is a song about a night my father and I had together where we drank too much whiskey and played each other our favourite songs…He died when I was 21, and when I first went to visit him in hospital, I was walking down the corridor towards his ward and I could hear him telling the other patients around him the story about that night we had.” Not only does he attempt to connect to others through his music, but like many true,brave musicians he shares his own heartache and personal stories too.
Following on, ‘True Romance’ is another example of a new spin on the old, instead of a cliché acoustic love song, we have a reflection on the inner emotions we have when falling in love. And, played out wonderfully through a delicate melody. Similarly, ‘Stamford’ roams a tale of nostalgia for home, a great track that would join in a live crowd harmoniously.
‘Some Nights’ is probably one of the best thought out tracks, a song that is quite clearly universal to everyone. You’ve been warned: it may bring you to tears! The piano accompaniment, really adds to the strength of such a powerful song, one you won’t be forgetting for a while.
Whilst ‘Feeling Good’ is a wonderful track that will relate to many listeners once more. One that still replies on the acoustic, but still pulls between the negative realism and the real positivity that one can find still. A literal feel good song, quite aptly named we think. Furthermore, ‘Medicine’ introduces a lovely harmonica touch seeping through that heightens the emotion that surrounds Lynch’s music. A track that quite accurately describes the mission of his music, for music, and Rob’s especially can be our medicine.
We appreciate Rob Lynch a lot for his time and dedication to releasing an echo of many people’s thoughts on simply trying to live. The core strain of the void, and horrors we face, ‘Widow’ captures this, and we are grateful for his music. An incredibly strong album, and a true artist to dedicate listening and living time to. All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul is an album that tells many a story of sadness and regret but always with an underlying sense of positivity and hope.
