B-Side Guys

Collaboration breeds its own specific heartbreak. Western Australia’s Lloyd and The Leftovers understand this intimately, crafting their latest around the peculiar grief that emerges when creative partnerships lose their initial magic. “Tried it on Tuesday” documents that precise moment when inspiration stops flowing freely between two people who used to finish each other’s sentences.

The five-piece’s approach to American folk revival feels refreshingly unforced. Rather than cosplaying Americana, they’ve absorbed its narrative traditions and applied them to distinctly Australian experiences. Their Buffalo Club and Clancy’s Fish Pub performances have built genuine local momentum, suggesting audiences recognize something authentic in their translation of classic sounds to contemporary circumstances.

Lloyd’s vocal delivery carries that mentioned “twang” without feeling performative. There’s something genuinely vulnerable in his phrasing, the sound of someone working through relationship complications in real time. The production choices support this intimacy perfectly—clear, open vocals that make every word count, balanced mixing that ensures nothing gets buried in the arrangement.

What distinguishes this from typical creative partnership songs is its refusal to assign blame. The track acknowledges difficulty without demonizing either party, understanding that sometimes creative chemistry simply shifts. The “warped metaphors” mentioned in their bio surface throughout, but never obscure the emotional core.

The guitar work deserves specific recognition—skillfully plucked patterns that provide both rhythmic foundation and melodic counterpoint. This feels like folk music that’s been lived rather than studied, crafted by people who understand the difference between honoring tradition and imitating it.

Most compelling is the song’s acceptance of cyclical nature. Creative partnerships rarely end cleanly; they ebb and flow, disappoint and surprise. Lloyd and The Leftovers have captured this reality with remarkable honesty. They’re hanging onto the past while time marches on because sometimes that’s all you can do when the alternative is giving up entirely.