The rock and roll highway is paved with those desperate to escape the living hell of a 9-5 routine. Andy Walker adds his voice to those asking 'is this all there is'?
In his mid 20s Mr Walker is already "bored of growing up" and sensibly just wants to play his songs rather than get a 'proper' job'.
The six tracks on this ep are released under his stage name of 'Loyal Trooper' named after a pub near Sheffield where, one assumes, the masterplan for this release was first hatched.
Now based in London, Walker sings, plays guitar and keyboards and his worst nightmare is a job in finance.
The songs document self doubt, disillusionment and disconnection but this not a despairing record.
While he sometimes dwells excessively on 'no one understands me' lamentations, he also manages to capture the sense of urgency that stems from the need to break out of the rut he is in. In spirit it is not a million miles away with Billy Bragg's 1983 debut ep ‘Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy’.
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A track called 'Five Year Plan' is the one that best sums up the overriding drive and energy behind the record.. On the one hand, the song is self pitying ("In my 25 years I can count on one finger the amount of my peers who give a fuck about this singer") but Walker is honest enough to acknowledge that the rant against "self important pricks" means that he has reached a now or never moment in his life. In other words, it's put up or shut up time.
The drive of 'Nottingham Wasn't Built For Me' and 'Okay At Best' together with the tender charm of 'M1 To The A52' are proof that Andy Walker's pop sensibilty is such that he may one day realise his dream and give up his day job.
6 tracks - Playing time - 19.00 mins
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