The Deep Strikes – The Deep Strikes (2026)
On the debut album from Northern Ireland’s The Deep Strikes, the band’s sound and writing stick too close to the concerns of their influences; the band are most entertaining when they loosen up. Throughout their self-titled album, they mix country, jazz, 90s alt-rock, and garage-rock intentionally, with their chosen brand of blues-rock. They kick in with the rugged ‘Go Down Slow’, led by the brash bluesy country guitar shredding of Conaill Doherty. Then lead singer Declan Devlin uninhibitedly expresses his fleshly desire like bluesmen before him. The amount of space given to both Delvin’s commanding performance and the guitar solo here helps the band inch in some personality.
The heavy sound continues into ‘Focus on the Music’; knee-tapping, straightforward rock ‘n’ roll jam. After Devlin and the guys learn how to block out haters with a catchy hook, their bridge becomes a sonic world of adventure. Bassist Ciaran McNally strums with the fever of someone on the run, with distorted guitar strums and melodies enhancing the searching energy. The song becomes more revealing of their mounting anger with a sudden switch to math-rock jamming, then stomps right into a guitar solo cycling through blues, then rock licks that materialise into wah-wah effects, making the internal world visceral.
The band then unexpectedly dips into a 90s beach-pop track with ‘Rocket of Love’. This song is a perfect break from the heft of the previous songs. Devlin enunciates “Every time you’re around”, adding playfulness to the wavy tune. On ‘Double Down’, the band successfully go between rockabilly and French pop-jazz, where the seamless switching of styles from drummer Charlie Farrell is the key to the energy of affirmation.
The Deep Strikes craft enjoyable tunes, but their songwriting reflects a band still learning from their influences. On a song about cellphone overuse, ‘If You Hadda Looked Up’, replicating the nursery rhyme singing that comes directly from the template of the track’s 70s country-rock sound, keeps the band’s concerns at the surface level.
On ‘Long Gone’, a slow and dark traditional blues song, Devlin sings, “If you’re thinking of leaving/don’t forget to close that door/Make sure you blow out the candles/they won’t be needed anymore”. Every member sounds earnest, but without the anger or playfulness of previous songs, this track remains a replication of the source. After some time, Doherty rolls in with his solo, easily creating those classic aching, blues licks, but his expression doesn’t go further or inward.
The album’s ender, ‘Tuatha Dé’, feels more representative of the band’s personality. When the rock ‘n’ roll moves into a contemplative chorus, where they chant the term “Tuatha Dé”, which translates to “tribes of the gods”, the guys feel the most connected to their music. The sound of release in Declan Devlin’s voice and the searching feeling in the music give the band their standout. The Deep Strikes make a cohesive debut that’s a step in a promising direction.
Find out more about The Deep Strikes on their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
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