Iam Wills and the Willing artwork

Ian Wills has always had somewhat of a ‘revolving door policy’ on his critically acclaimed band Wills & The Willing. Each of his first two albums featured an almost entirely different line-up, including Jessie Wood (Reef), Rachel Wood (Cirque de Soleil), and guest vocals from the likes of Tom McRae., Harry Collier, & Liane Carrol. Now with a brand new line-up and a bigger, more accessible sound for his third album ‘Dream In Colour’; Wills finally believes that he has settled on a definitive band line-up and has an inspiring set of new songs that will help take the band to a much wider audience.

With their brand new album “ Dream in Colour”, Wills and the Willing have crafted a timeless audio journey that flows seamlessly from song to song with stories bursting to be told. It’s spoken word with an Indie twist and tons of punk attitude.

At first listen Ian Dury springs to mind but The Wills take it to a different level. The music is so epic, dreamy and laced with walls of euphoric sound it’s almost reminiscent of The Beach Boys on acid on holiday with a sonic and dreamy Beck, but then there are tracks like “Mr. Bling” that rock with banging rhythms and dark electronic soundscapes and you can sense it’s not all “Butterflies” in the Wills camp.

“Butterflies” is the first single off the album and it has a beautiful melancholy mood that sort of gives you an Indie lump in your throat and then bursts into a beautiful heavenly chorus that sets you free with a classic 90’s meets almost Simon and Garfunkel feel to it in parts.  Finding out that it was inspired by the town of Wotton Bassett and the tearful repatriations, it all makes perfect sense. It’s Indie with a warm heart, this man is real poet with a powerful conscience and a band of Indie angels who dance, rock and groove.

7/10

The video is pretty epic too:

‘Butterflies’ relies heavily on the musical skills of new full-time ‘Willing’ members Sean Genockey , Charlie Morton and John Hogg (Moke, Rich Robinson, Roger Daltrey). You can not fail to be moved by the cinematic tear stained lyrics that comes from the sword like pen of Wills, coupled with its soaring chorus and emotive production.

https://soundcloud.com/user-17894197/sets/dream-in-colour/s-NihUA

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