Westside Cowboy – Shells

Just crowned champions of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition 2025—beating out thousands of hopefuls for the coveted festival slot—Westside Cowboy aren’t wasting a second of their newfound spotlight.

Their latest offering, “Shells”, arrives via a double-label release (Nice Swan x Heist or Hit). For this taut indie burner, the band enlisted Lewis Whiting from Mercury Prize winners English Teacher to handle production duties.

What starts deceptively slow builds with measured precision—this isn’t a band rushing despite their meteoric rise. The song’s architectural approach mirrors its thematic concerns, with vocalists Reuben Haycocks and Aoife Anson O’Connell creating a fascinating interplay that shifts between restraint and release. Their harmonies weave through fuzzed-out guitars and dynamic rhythm changes that somehow manage to feel both chaotic and surgically melodic.

The band describes “Shells” as being “broadly about acceptance,” exploring the acknowledgement of both what you have and the inevitability of change. There’s a cinematic quality to their storytelling—they mention the song is “loosely based on a film, in which the character masters this. We have yet to reach this point though.” It’s a refreshingly self-aware admission from a band already garnering critical acclaim.

“It means so much to everyone in the band,” O’Connell told NME, reflecting on their Glastonbury opportunity. “I just vividly remember growing up watching the Glastonbury sets on the telly.” For a band moving this quickly, such moments of sincere reflection feel like necessary anchors. As they prepare for their appearance on the Woodsies stage this June, “Shells” stands as compelling evidence that the judges made the right choice.