Manchester quartet Westside Cowboy has announced its debut album, It Goes On, for August 21 via Island Records. The band has also shared a new single, “Kick Stones (The Boys),” which received a first play on BBC 6 Music and arrives with a video made in collaboration with FC United of Manchester.
“Kick Stones (The Boys)” previews the 11-track album, which was produced by Loren Humphrey at Greenmount Studios in Leeds. Bassist and vocalist Aoife Anson O’Connell said the band first liked the way the song felt live but did not want the recording to push them toward stadium rock. The group instead used a live recording of The Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On” as a reference point.
The video connects the band with FC United of Manchester, the local football club founded after Manchester United was sold to an American corporation. Guitarist and vocalist Reuben Haycocks said the club shared something with the band’s outlook, adding, “They’re very community minded and they have a similar atmosphere to what we want to be.” Westside Cowboy has also worked with community projects before, including No Band Is An Island, a Manchester-based collective that hosted fundraising nights with local artists, charities, and direct action groups.
The album announcement follows Westside Cowboy’s recent run supporting Geese and a sold-out UK headline run in January and February. The group also played debut US dates in late 2025 and toured with Black Country, New Road last October. In 2025, Westside Cowboy appeared on festival bills including Glastonbury, Green Man, and End of the Road. The band’s two EPs, So Much Country ‘Till We Get There and This Better Be Something Great, included singles that appeared on BBC 6 Music’s playlist and received BBC Radio 1 support from Greg James, Sian Eleri, and Alyx Holcombe.
