B-Side Guys

Through the windshield of Trudy and the Romance’s “Her Cadillac,” the American highway becomes a metaphor for love’s inevitable departure. Oliver Taylor’s latest single marks a bold shift from his “Mutant 50’s pop” origins into more expansive Americana territory, proving that sometimes you have to change lanes to find your true direction.

The track arrives as the first glimpse of the upcoming album “Blue Thunder” (due November 2024 on B3SCI Records), showcasing Taylor’s evolution from the Beach Boys-influenced harmonies and Disney-tinged arrangements of “Sandman” into something more grounded yet equally cinematic. Like a Tennessee Williams play set to music, “Her Cadillac” explores the paradox of two lovers who fear solitude yet find only desolation in each other’s company.

Taylor’s description of the song – about an attraction between two lovers “afraid to be alone but desolate when together” – manifests in both lyrics and arrangement. It’s a delicate balance of energy and melancholy, where the freedom symbolized by the titular Cadillac becomes both escape route and emotional hearse, “taking away the loneliest part of his heart.”

The Chesterfield native’s transition from the quirky doo-wop of “Junkyard Jazz” to this more mature Americana sound feels less like abandonment and more like natural progression. The DNA of his earlier work – that keen eye for character and narrative – remains intact, just dressed in different clothes and driving a different vehicle.

This new direction might surprise fans who fell in love with the “mutant 50’s pop” of earlier releases, but it demonstrates Taylor’s refusal to be boxed in by past successes. The support from heavy-hitters like BBC Radio 1, KCRW, and KEXP suggests this artistic gamble is paying off, while placements on Spotify’s New Music Friday and The Pulse of Americana indicate the industry is ready for Trudy’s evolution.

After exploring the coming-of-age tales of Little Johnny in “Sandman,” Taylor proves he’s done some growing up himself. The production maintains his cinematic instincts while stripping away some of the more whimsical elements of his previous work, resulting in something that feels both more grounded and more ambitious.

“Her Cadillac” serves as both farewell letter to Trudy’s past and mission statement for its future. It’s the sound of an artist trading in his cartoon heart for a real one, discovering that authentic emotions can be just as colorful as imagined ones. As Taylor prepares to support Lightning Seeds at Leeds Beckett Students Union this December, it’s clear that this new road he’s traveling leads somewhere worth following.

The single suggests that “Blue Thunder” might be more than just another album in Trudy and the Romance’s catalog – it could be the moment where Taylor’s distinctive storytelling finds its truest voice, proving that sometimes you have to leave the junkyard to find your jazz.