Heavy On The Ride – Self Titled

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · August 19, 2026

Heavy on the Ride is a hard driving and riff rocking stoner band from Swansea/ South Wales, United Kingdom. Formed originally around 2009, the band currently consists of Jordan Huxtable on guitars and vocals, Michael Bale on bass and vocals, Sam Wood on drums, and Ryan Williams on guitar. They have released their debut EP, 2014’s Different Animals, 2021’s Rarities & B-Sides Volume 1 EP, and a few singles along the way. The band finally dropped their Self Titled full length debut album on July 24th 2026. It contains ten tracks at forty minutes long.

Heavy On The Ride is another fantastic band that is in contention for debut album of the year! It’s hard to believe that a band that originated over seventeen years ago is only now releasing their debut record. Their first EP dates back to over twelve years ago but this is the first time that I am hearing about them. The music is heavy yet accessible because of the catchy vocal melodies and choruses. The opener, “On Deaf Ears” is a great example of just that, with a nice rocking groove and straight forward attack. “Red Walls” is a fuzz rocker’s delight, enticed with bouncy rhythms and vocals that rage. The band are tight and mix up the riffs and overall feel quite a bit throughout this excellent album.

The third song entitled “Somewhere In Between” is a catchy and powerful number that hits all the right places, sonically speaking. Groove-laden stoner rock at its finest, Heavy On The Ride knows how to lay down a dynamic hook and riffalicious sequence. The ending has a progressive and hypnotic twist of heavy psych and spellbinding rhythms. “Chef’s Kiss” starts with the bass and then rips into a rocking fury of punk-angst goodness. The buoyant riffs and powerful vocals surge along nicely on this one, whereas “Cheshire Cat Grin” swaggers in the emotive tones of the likes of QOTSA and Kyuss, but takes the music in a warped direction. I am really enjoying how direct but expansive their sound is, remarkably stunning on this track.

“Interludes” fades in with a two minute mind-rolling relay of mellow and eccentric tones and sounds. The quick instrumental fades out and Heavy On The Ride hits you with “Almost Alive” and “Sunseeker”. These two great songs are full of fuzz rocking grooves and transcending resonance. The very cool thing about this band is their ability to sound so vital with the familiarity of many of the desert rocking greats and twist their own sound into very interesting sonic territory. It works really well throughout this Self Titled debut and when tracks like “I Owe You Nothing” come on, it’s fuzz tilt boogie! Heavy and methodical grooves with good clean vocals, Heavy On The Ride is such an appropriate and fitting name for this musical excursion.

The tenth and final track is called “Catharsis”. Clocking in at nearly six and a half minutes, and being the longest track on the album, it’s a perfect choice for the closer. A nice fade in with the atmospheric structures taking form in the riffs and flow, the song has the instrumental stamp of approval for ending with a huge statement. The music has a mesmerizing effect as each audio twist and turn is expressed to the fullest extent possible. The band really shines, saving their most masterful performance to the end, in terms of unpredictability and impact. “Catharsis” is almost like a teaser for the progression in which the band is heading in. This Self Titled album is terrific and I am really digging the sound of Heavy On The Ride. It’s definitely a refreshing twist on the classic desert rock sound and still manages to integrate scores of authentic and progressive originality.