The Cadillac Three - The Years Go Fast

The Cadillac Three have become synonymous with care-free experimentation. Their rebellious spirit has seen them flit seamlessly between Southern Rock, Funk, 70’s Disco and - particularly on their new album - Metal.

However, if there’s one criticism that’s been levelled at the Tennessee trio since their 2014 debut, it’s that The Cadillac Three sometimes fail to match their sonic variegation with thematic depth.

It’s safe to say that the band’s new record, The Years Go Fast, answers any lingering questions about their lyrical prowess. The group’s lead singer, Jaren Johnston, movingly and viscerally explores his grief following his father’s passing on ‘This Town Is A Ghost’, while the trio deliver a sleek and perceptive ode to lost youth on the album’s closer, ‘Pistols On The Levee’.

Although Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason and Kelby Ray flirt with Metal on the ferocious ‘Double Wide Grave’ and the anthemic ‘Hillbilly’, The Years Go Fast feels slicker and smoother than the rough-around-the-edges ambience of Tabasco and Sweet Tea and Country Fuzz.

The rowdy hell-raising tracks will undoubtedly receive a raucous reaction during live shows. But, The Cadillac Three’s artistry arguably shines much more radiantly when the band’s ever-present intensity is channelled into soaring hooks and subtle, emphatic production, rather than wild, unruly guitar solos.

The Years Go Fast plays as the band’s most intricate and affecting record to date, with The Cadillac Three proving that the three-year wait - a virtually interminable period compared to the eight months that separated Tabasco and Country Fuzz - was well and truly worth it.

8/10

The Cadillac Three's 2023 album, The Years Go Fast, is out now via Big Machine Label Group.

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