THE FRONT ROW

Liverpool has never been short of jangling guitars and brutally honest lyricists, but Keyside are staking a claim to be the next band in that lineage worth taking seriously. If You Don’t Try, their fresh-out-the-box single, doesn’t just hint at ambition, it’s practically waving a flare from the rooftops. Released via Modern Sky alongside the news of their biggest UK headline tour yet, it’s the clearest sign so far that this four-piece is ready to scale up from cult fascination to the real thing.

From the first chord, you get why the likes of CLASH and The Line Best Of Fit have been falling over themselves to pin superlatives on them. There’s an effortless warmth to the sound, honey-sweet guitars looping around a rhythm section that knows exactly when to sit tight and when to let loose. It’s undeniably radio-friendly, but there’s nothing soft around the edges. Every note feels like it’s come from somewhere real.

Frontman Dan Parker has never been shy about shining a light on the rougher corners of life. The band’s earlier singles, Runaway, Rhianna, and the standout Michael (What’s Your Call?), earned their stripes by matching glacial riffs with lyrics about addiction and domestic chaos. “All my life I’ve been brought up around drugs, really,” Parker told CLASH last year, adding, “All these songs are a manifestation of what I’ve seen.” That candour is why Keyside have become so easy to root for.

But If You Don’t Try feels like a deliberate pivot. This time, the heavy subject matter is swapped out for a shot of optimism. Parker calls the track “about embracing uncertainty, taking chances and living life.” Or, in his words: “F**k it! Let’s give it a go, see what happens if we try.” It’s a sentiment that hits especially hard coming from a songwriter who’s made a habit of documenting life’s darker currents. Here, you get the sense of someone pushing back against the gravity that’s always threatened to pull them under.

Musically, Keyside continue to balance their influences without lapsing into imitation. Sure, you can hear echoes of The Smiths in the jangle, The La’s in the hooks, and Fontaines D.C. in the urgency. But it never feels forced. There’s a clarity to their songwriting that’s entirely their own, unfussy, melodic, and built to be shouted back at them by a room full of believers.

The release is smartly timed. November and December see them embarking on a 13-date UK run that takes in everywhere from Glasgow’s Oran Mor to London’s Camden Assembly. The Liverpool O2 Academy date in particular already feels like a coronation, 1,200 fans packed into a room to see whether Keyside can turn promise into permanence. Given the reaction to this single, it’s hard to imagine them falling short.

Part of what makes If You Don’t Try land so convincingly is the chemistry within the band itself. Ben Cassidy’s lead guitar glides through the mix with a lightness that keeps the track from getting bogged down in its own message. Max Gibson and Oisin McAvoy lay down grooves that feel effortless but never lazy. It’s a reminder that beneath the words, this is still a band that can flat-out play.

Critics have lined up to sing their praises, and with good reason. XS Noize called them “honey-sweet guitars against evocative and cryptic lyrics,” and The Spectator summed it up neatly: “Keyside were absolutely terrific.” You won’t find much to disagree with there. This is a band with the songs, the story, and, most importantly, the heart.

If You Don’t Try doesn’t pretend everything is rosy. Instead, it looks uncertainty in the eye and decides to go for it anyway. For Keyside, that seems to be the whole point. They’ve built their identity on honesty and a refusal to coast. If this track is anything to go by, the gamble is already paying off.

If You Don’t Try is out now. Remaining tickets for the tour are up at keysidemusic.com. Go and see them while you still can.