Winchester 7 & the Runners Bring Garage Rock Energy to No Worse For Wear.

Winchester 7 & the Runners Give Indie Rock a Ukulele Twist on "No Worse For Wear".

Nobody expects an electric tenor ukulele to lead a rock band. Winchester 7 & the Runners do it anyway, and on their EP No Worse For Wear, the Atlanta-based trio make a pretty good case for it. With the uke out front and bass, drums, and vocals behind it, the band sounds noticeably different from the usual guitar-heavy indie outfit. It takes a song or two to adjust your ears, but once you do, it starts to feel completely natural.

You can hear plenty of influences on the record: sixties rock, surf, garage, classic pop and a bit of alternative. The band clearly loves older rock, but these songs don’t come across as tribute pieces. They’re bright and melodic, with enough scrappy garage energy to stop them sounding too clean. The ukulele gives everything a lighter, twangier edge that a standard guitar line wouldn’t, and it cuts through the mix in a way that keeps the songs moving.

No Worse For Wear Is Rock Music With an Unusual Centrepiece.

The way the band came together is pretty low-key. Phil Voorhees (bass) and Jack Kane (drums) were trading rough ideas, a few bass notes here, a tentative beat there, when Winchester 7 turned up with his vocals and ukulele. From there it turned into a proper band. It’s the kind of origin story that reminds you how often good music starts with people just messing around and seeing what sticks.

The lineup is also more spread out than most. The band is based out of Sanctuary Studio in Atlanta, but Voorhees is originally from Amsterdam, and Kane lives in the UK. What connects them is a fondness for rock music that has fun with itself and doesn’t get too serious. That loose, easygoing attitude comes through on the EP, which never sounds like it’s trying too hard.

The big risk with a ukulele-led band is that it ends up feeling like a gimmick. That doesn’t happen here, mostly because the trio commits to it fully. The uke isn’t a novelty on one track. It’s the backbone of the whole EP, and it ties together the retro pop hooks, surf touches, and rough garage edges. Voorhees and Kane give it a solid base to work from, so the songs still hit like rock songs.

If you like rock with a vintage feel but want something you haven’t quite heard before, No Worse For Wear is worth a spin.