Even though the London native and current Los Angeles resident Billy Tibbals might have been in high school not that long ago (he graduated in 2020), he plays British inspired rock'n'roll like a seasoned vet for these six energetic tunes, produced by the legendary Chris Robinson (of The Black Crowes fame).
The record gets off to a rowdy start with the thumping garage rock ideas of “Burn Out!”, where Dagger Polyester's impressive backing vocals and Reza Matin's pounding drums suit Tibbals' raw vocals and lively guitar. “The World Revolves” then gets thicker, as Michael Cipolletti's throbbing bass guitar helps illuminate the buzzing, melodic, anthemic rock.
The middle belongs to “Out Of Touch” and “Nobody Knows.” The former is a bit more forceful, and soars with plenty of grit amid the tuneful songwriting, while the latter benefits from the precise rhythm section, Lucien Valen's dreamy keys, well-timed handclaps and searing guitar work.
Landing close to the end, the quick and bouncy “I’ll Die” touches on proto-punk, classic rock and even punk-fueled moments, where Tibbals’ falsetto is quite charming, and the balladry of “Dream Away” exits with the graceful piano and Kaitlin Wolfberg’s elegant violin that adds much sophistication to the hazy and rich finish.
An extremely memorable EP, Night Life Stories demonstrates that Tibbals has a knack for power-pop, glam-rock, the early days of punk and both retro and modern garage rock. I know that we are all supposed to be praising Greta Van Fleet as the current champions of rock’n’roll. And, hey, I’m a fan, also, but we should all be trying Billy Tibbals on for size, too, cause this youngster is like Paul McCartney and Joe Strummer if they grew up listening to The Strokes.