It Goes On by Westside Cowboy
87
ChoruScore Critic consensus / 100

Released Aug 21, 2026 Universal-Island Records Ltd.

Established consensus 8 professional reviews Updated Aug 26, 2026

Strong critical consensus

Westside Cowboy's It Goes On arrives as a taut, guitar-forward statement of intent that critics call a vivid mix of youthful confidence and pastoral unease.

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Critics' Top Tracks

The songs critics returned to most

01

Kick Stones (The Boys)

7 critic mentions

“Kick Stones (The Boys)’ begins with looping and whirring guitars, before slowly developing into an all-enveloping wall of noise.” — Rolling Stone UK
02

Dobro

3 critic mentions

“Further singles ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’ display the band’s ability to switch up primary vocal duties” — Clash Music
03

Coyote

5 critic mentions

“on a track like ‘Coyote’, a joyous and uplifting musical accompaniment is coupled with the words” — Clash Music
Full critic consensus

Westside Cowboy's It Goes On arrives as a taut, guitar-forward statement of intent that critics call a vivid mix of youthful confidence and pastoral unease. Across eight professional reviews the record earned an 86.88/100 consensus score, and reviewers consistently point to communal harmonies, propulsive riffing and careful instrumental builds as the qualities that make the best songs on It Goes On stick.

Reviewers agree that “Kick Stones (The Boys)” functions as the album's locomotive, praised repeatedly for urgent riffing, singalong momentum and anthemic group vocals; other frequently cited highlights include “Dobro”, “Pin Up Boys”, “Paperchains” and “Coyote”. Critics note a pleasing brevity to the record - brisk pacing and a roughly 30-minute runtime - that sharpens its alt-country and indie fusion, from Britanicana-tinged balladry to loud-quiet crescendos. Multiple reviews celebrate the band's live-band chemistry and DIY authenticity, and they highlight themes of friendship, coming-of-age uncertainty and social consciousness threaded through buoyant melodies and quiet existential moments.

Not all notes are wholly uncritical: a few reviewers flag occasional indulgence on tracks such as “Pin Up Boys” or minor lapses into familiar tropes, but the prevailing critical consensus frames It Goes On as an emotionally honest debut with modest innovation within tradition. For readers wondering whether It Goes On is worth hearing, the consensus score and repeated praise for standout tracks suggest this collection is a must-listen for anyone following contemporary alt-country and energetic indie rock. Further reviews below unpack how these best tracks convert nostalgia into immediate, communal thrills.

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Kick Stones (The Boys)

7 mentions
100
03:56
2

Paperchains

4 mentions
89
02:51
3

Dobro

3 mentions
100
02:45
4

Well Done Kid, You Did It

0 mentions
—
03:27
5

Worried Age

5 mentions
90
03:58
6

Big Wheels

4 mentions
68
03:17
7

Pin Up Boys

3 mentions
91
02:45
8

Coyote

5 mentions
93
03:18
9

Patchwork

2 mentions
10
03:22
10

Take My Leaving As I Love You

5 mentions
62
02:43
11

You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor

5 mentions
88
02:43

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What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 14 critics who reviewed this album

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy’s It Goes On bristles with guitar music that feels both nostalgic and freshly urgent, and the review points squarely to best songs like “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and “Big Wheels” as exemplars of that energy. The writer lingers on “Kick Stones (The Boys)” for its looping, whirring guitars that bloom into an all-enveloping wall of noise, and on “Big Wheels” for being a gorgeous existential ponderer with blissful rhythms. Also singled out as among the best are “Take My Leaving As I Love You” for its country-tinged balladry and “Pin Up Boys” for the band letting loose, which together show why queries about the best tracks on It Goes On keep returning to these songs. The tone is celebratory but precise, arguing that the album will be remembered for its brilliant guitar work and a handful of standout tracks that carry its emotional weight.

Key Points

  • The best song is a noisy, all-enveloping rocker like "Kick Stones (The Boys)" because it crystallises the album's guitar-driven brilliance.
  • The album's core strengths are brilliant guitar work, dynamic shifts between racket and balladry, and confident, nostalgic songwriting.

Themes

guitar-driven rock Britainicana alt-rock nostalgia balladry and existential reflection

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy sound like a band who know exactly what they are doing on It Goes On, teasing tension and payoff across a brisk 30 minutes. The reviewer's voice delights in the record's pacing, pointing to propulsive openers like “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and the swing of “Paperchains” as proof the best tracks on It Goes On keep momentum high. There is clear praise for the album's emotional honesty and measured crescendos, with “Dobro” singled out for its yearning and quieter payoff. The overall verdict is warm and enthusiastic, recommending the best songs on It Goes On as immediate highlights while noting the band still have more to say.

Key Points

  • The best song is the propulsive opener "Kick Stones (The Boys)" because it sets relentless momentum for the album.
  • The album's core strengths are brisk pacing, earned crescendos, and emotional honesty across quiet and loud dynamics.

Themes

Britanicana quiet/loud dynamics emotional honesty crescendo/build-up short runtime

Critic's Take

On Westside Cowboy's It Goes On the best songs coalesce into intimate anthems rather than arena-ready singles, and it is “Dobro” that most clearly proves the point. The reviewer leans into the warm DIY barn of the record while pointing to upbeat distillations like “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and the wistful rush of “Paperchains” as evidence of the band's claim to the hype. There is a knife-edge youthfulness across tracks such as “Worried Age” and “Coyote” that sells why listeners will search for the best songs on It Goes On - the album rewards repeated plays with subtle harmonic dividends.

Key Points

  • ‘Dobro’ is the best song for its impeccable harmonic vocals and the moment the band "click it back into gear".
  • The album's core strengths are its warm DIY production, youthful urgency, and indebted yet distinct indie revivalism.

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy arrive on It Goes On with a scrappy confidence that makes clear why audiences crave the best tracks on It Goes On. The reviewer's ear is repeatedly drawn to “Worried Age”, a galloping, mile-a-minute highlight, and to “Pin Up Boys”, whose graduated, goosebump-inducing outro cements it among the album's standouts. There are quieter triumphs too, from the Cohen-esque couplets of “Take My Leaving As I Love You” to the restrained piano build of “Patchwork”, all of which show how the best songs on It Goes On balance raw rush and real poignance. This record refuses to over-embellish, and its combination of rough'n'ready brilliance and harmonic tenderness is the clearest reason these tracks stick.

Key Points

  • ‘Worried Age’ is the best song for its galloping guitars and harmonized vocals.
  • The album’s core strength is balancing scrappy, live-feeling energy with moments of genuine poignance.

Themes

Americana-tinged slacker rock loud-quiet dynamics nostalgic late '60s/70s influences live energy vs. studio scrappiness poignance and harmonies

Critic's Take

As Todd Dedman writes with buoyant conviction, Westside Cowboy's debut It Goes On bristles with an open-hearted honesty that makes picking the best songs on It Goes On almost impossible. He singles out “Kick Stones (The Boys)” for its anthemic, lo-fi charm and grassroots ethos, and praises “Well Done Kid, You Did It” as a high point that "absolutely slaps" while addressing change. Dedman also highlights “Take My Leaving As I Love You” as a heartbreaking, languid prayer, the kind of track that cements why these are the best tracks on the album. The review's mix of specific praise and occasional critique preserves a spirited, British-obsessed enthusiasm throughout.

Key Points

  • “Well Done Kid, You Did It” is the standout for its assured, noisy reassurance and is repeatedly called a high point.
  • The album’s core strengths are open-hearted honesty, tight playing, 90s-influenced melodies, and authentic lyrical themes of community and change.

Themes

authenticity community identity nostalgia change

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy arrive on It Goes On with a confidence that never feels smug, and the best songs confirm their leap forward: “Kick Stones (The Boys)” opens with urgent riffing that stakes a claim, while “Coyote” shows their country-leaning heart in a Big Thief-ish way. The result is a debut where the best tracks on It Goes On feel fully formed and hard to shrug off.

Key Points

  • The best song is the opener because its urgent riffing announces the band’s confident leap forward.
  • The album’s core strengths are assured musicianship, a blend of British and country influences, and consistent momentum despite a mid-album lull.

Themes

confidence and progression Britainicana duality musicianship friendship and fun

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy’s It Goes On is a bighearted debut that finds its best tracks in communal harmony rather than flashy reinvention, notably “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and “Worried Age”. Waddell’s ear lingers on the way “Kick Stones (The Boys)” lets three voices congeal and how “Worried Age” and opener-turned-peak tracks build patiently rather than flinch for cheap crescendos. He flags “Coyote” and “Patchwork” as the album’s quieter experiments, one a requiem, the other a near-instrumental that tips into cliché. Overall the review celebrates the warmth, DIY sincerity and communal spirit that make these the best songs on It Goes On for listeners seeking friendship-woven Britainicana.

Key Points

  • The best song is “Kick Stones (The Boys)” because its three-part vocal harmonies and opener status crystallise the record's warmth.
  • The album’s core strengths are its DIY authenticity, communal vocal interplay, and warm Britainicana influences.

Themes

nostalgia DIY authenticity friendship and collaboration pastoral/folk and alt-country influences modest innovation within tradition

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy arrive on It Goes On with an unapologetic energy, and the best songs - notably “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and “Worried Age” - crystallise the record's blend of social consciousness and Gen-Z anxiety in the band’s unmistakeable harmonies. Seth White’s tone is celebratory and observant, praising how tracks like “Dobro” and “Pin Up Boys” swap vocal duties to keep the best tracks on It Goes On feeling fresh and immediate. The record’s heartland moments and cathartic crescendos make the best songs sound like communal rituals, rude and tender at once. Overall, the review frames these standout tracks as proof that this young band can translate live chemistry into studio immediacy while addressing weighty themes without posturing.

Key Points

  • The best song, "Kick Stones (The Boys)", distills the band’s mission with social consciousness and catchy structure.
  • The album’s core strengths are its communal harmonies, candid lyrics about anxiety, and authentic indie-rock immediacy.

Themes

Gen-Z anxiety existential dread social consciousness authentic indie revival collective/scene engagement

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy sound like a band who have bottled their live fizz on It Goes On, and the best songs on It Goes On prove it. The singles “Pin Up Boys” and “Kick Stones (The Boys)” carry the baton with intoxicating momentum and singalong immediacy that make them the album's standout tracks. Elsewhere, quieter moments such as “You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor” give the record emotional heart, as the band make their peace with panic and imperfection.

Key Points

  • The best song is "Kick Stones (The Boys)" for its intoxicating momentum and live-tested singalong energy.
  • The album’s core strengths are live-band chemistry and approachable, everyday imagery that frames youthful uncertainty.

Themes

youthful uncertainty live-band chemistry alt-country and indie fusion everyday imagery

Critic's Take

Hi everyone, Bigthony Pumptano here, and on It Goes On by Westside Cowboy the best tracks are largely back-loaded. The record’s strongest moments - “Well Done Kid, You Did It” and “Pin Up Boys” - show the band’s knack for a memorable hook and dramatic vocal delivery. Elsewhere the album sounds derivatively safe, but when the dynamics click the results are genuinely stirring.

Key Points

  • The album’s best song is "Well Done Kid, You Did It" because of its earworm chorus and dynamic burst.
  • The record’s core strengths are tight production, strong dynamics, and memorable vocal moments amid uneven songwriting.

Themes

indie rock derivation production quality uneven songwriting dynamics and crescendos vocal variety

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy sound like a band who have swallowed midwestern American cues and spat them back out with British urgency on It Goes On. The best songs on It Goes On - notably “Kick Stones (The Boys)”, “Pin Up Boys” and “Coyote” - show that crispy, punchy debut sound, from twangy opener hooks to the slow build and magnificent payoff of “Pin Up Boys”. There is joyous analogue simplicity here, a love of repeated strums and surging lyrics that make these tracks immediate and likable. The record feels like a confident start, energetic and full of character, and those standout songs point to a band with plenty more to offer.

Key Points

  • The best song is the twangy, immediately likeable opener “Kick Stones (The Boys)” for its repeated-note hook and propulsive build.
  • The album's core strengths are analogue simplicity, pulsing repeated lyrics, and energetic indie-Americana fusion.

Themes

indie revival Americana influence analogue simplicity youthful nostalgia

Critic's Take

Westside Cowboy make It Goes On feel like a permanent near-sunset, where the best songs - “Patchwork”, “Kick Stones (The Boys)” and “You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor” - lift into swarms of warm feeling before crashing. The record is taut yet fuzzy, guitar textures and chiming synths pushing instrument-by-instrument builds that turn small ideas into an irresistible whole. When they hit it, as on “Patchwork” or the grinning instrumentals of “Paperchains”, the rush is joyous; only on “Pin Up Boys” does the band feel a touch too invested in itself. Overall, the album's sunlit melancholy and celebratory endings make these tracks the clear best tracks on It Goes On.

Key Points

  • Patchwork is the best song because it exemplifies the album's instrument-by-instrument build and warm climactic payoff.
  • The album's core strengths are its taut yet fuzzy guitar textures, chiming synths, and joyous instrument-led crescendos.

Themes

nostalgia melancholy summer imagery instrumental build coming-of-age

Critic's Take

The best songs on It Goes On are those that convert familiar indie tropes into feverish life, especially “Pin Up Boys” and “Well Done Kid, You Did It”. Tom Breihan's review revels in the album's headlong joy and explosive build, praising how “Pin Up Boys” detonates from mutter to anarchic chorus and how “Well Done Kid, You Did It” becomes a storm of drums and overlapping voices. The record's strength is its ability to feel both homage and invention, with moments like the surfy leads on “Coyote” and the collapsing-then-returning trick on “Paperchains” that prove why these are the best tracks on It Goes On. Breihan sounds exhilarated and convinced that these songs mark Westside Cowboy as an inspiring new band rather than a mere pastiche.

Key Points

  • The best song is “Pin Up Boys” because of its explosive lift from muttered verses to an anarchic, howling chorus.
  • The album's core strength is its ability to remake familiar indie-rock ingredients into feverish, joyous noise with compelling builds.

Themes

nostalgia and revival energetic indie rock folk influence youthful confidence