A Review of 'Remedy' : A snarling, kinetic slice of garage-bred rock from Portsmouth’s finest, The Straights

Built on pounding drums, scrappy guitars and the kind of vocal urgency that suggests someone's about to burst through your speakers, the track blends the scruff of punk with indie grit and alt-rock edge — all delivered with the confidence of a band who’ve gigged hard and learnt to play with fire.

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From its first hit, ‘Remedy’ feels like a band with something to prove. The guitars are thick with distortion but agile, riffing with a controlled chaos that evokes The Libertines’ early-era messiness and the pointed aggression of The Black Keys. There's a wild-eyed unpredictability to the arrangement – sudden drops, rising crescendos, and a hook that doesn't ask for permission.

It centres around breakdown and release – personal chaos, the slow search for healing through sheer volume and emotion. Lead vocalist George Years turns the pain into propulsion, delivering lines with a raw, sometimes ragged intensity that never once feels performative. It’s sweaty, desperate and somehow still triumphant — like all the best rock should be.

There’s an unmistakable Britishness to the sound, proudly DIY in texture but refined in structure. That balance – between instinct and craft – marks ‘Remedy’ as a standout moment in The Straights’ catalogue so far. From supporting Buzzcocks and Inspiral Carpets to earning the praise of scene veterans, their trajectory is rooted in the hard-won grind of real bands doing real work.

‘Remedy’ doesn’t reinvent the wheel — it spins it faster, harder, and sends it careening into the wall with a grin. It's a loud, honest howl from a band on the rise — messy, magnetic, and gloriously alive.

Photo by Rhona Murphy