The Vanrays Premiere Their Bouncy New Record ‘Hey! Alright Now’

You are in for a grand ol’ time today because you are about to enter the world of The Vanrays. Fun is the game’s name, and that’s with a capital “F,” as you’ll discover on the band’s brand new EP Hey! Alright Now. Formed in 2016, the Vancouver act has started to find its footing in the last couple of years. Their musical influences are quite apparent within their sound, but they have joined them together to create their distinctive sound.

Made up of veterans of the local Vancouver scene, The Vanrays specialize in both soul and spirit. They refer to their “sound” as “East Van Garage Soul,” which alerts you to their uniqueness. They might remind you of The Black Pumas but with more of a garage flavour, inspired by classic Detroit City garage rockers. It might be most appropriate to refer to it as garage soul, with a nod to the past, but many nods to many musical pasts.

Commenting on the album, the band share the following:

“Hey! Alright Now! is a compilation of songs that were originally recorded during the sessions for The Vanrays’ 2023 LP: Put It Out. These songs have a distinct vibe that sets them apart from the 10 tracks that made it onto the album, but they have become an integral part of our live set-lists and fan favourites.

Both the title track, ‘Hey Alright Now,’ and ‘Another Man,’ seamlessly blend EastVan Soul with a vintage power pop sound, delivering a three-minute burst of joy and infectious beats.

‘During the pandemic, we released a demo of ‘Survivors.’ a soulful and socially distant anthem that captures the determination to finish a record despite not being able to be in the same room. We even created a demo video influenced by Zoom, with horn parts recorded using webcams. It was a victory for us all to finish this song despite the journey that it began with.”

Set to be released on June 5th, Hey! Alright Now is a soulful journey that’s worth buckling up for. The EP features a plethora of catchy tunes with big hooks and supersized melodies. There’s an undeniable influence of Motown and classic soul. But it is modernized and delivered with more of a rock n’ roll spirit. The leader of this dynamic ensemble is lead singer Spencer McKinnon. He helped set the tone for the band’s artistic evolution on this record when he came up with the bare outline of the track “Ghosts.”

This song ended up being incredibly important to the band’s artistic evolution when he presented it to his bandmates during a crucial basement rehearsal session. The song has been rearranged several times, but the essence of the original remains intact. Musically and symbolically, “Ghosts” has helped guide the band forward. It has acted as a blueprint of how they want to proceed, both musically and spiritually.

A lot of thought has gone into how The Vanrays could capture the essence of that classic soul sound. They wanted to pay homage to their favourite classic soul recordings without being a copycat. But in terms of energy and feeling, they have successfully put to tape what was so beloved about those classic Stax and Motown records. This EP is a triumph for a band that is still growing and evolving.

The Vanrays ‘Hey! Alright Now’ album artwork