Album review: THE TOI – Water Into Wine

The Toi - Water Into Wine

Sushi Roll [Released 02.03.15]

Glaswegian three piece rock band the Toi consist of Pol Healy (vocals/guitar), Andy Carr (bass/guitar/vocals) and Stevie Mclay (drums/vocals). They also have Dan Hawkins of the Darkness involved in helping out on the arrangements along with Nick Brine (who runs Dan Hawkins studio) who produced the album with the band.

The album had a low key release back 2013 and now it gets a full release and rightly so. They remind me a lot of fellow Scots rockers Estrella at times and on their debut single ‘Get On IT’, the arena rock sound of Bon Jovi. ‘Come Alive’ is a bouncy hard rock tune, another single and I love ‘Till The Morning Comes’, where the band mix hard rock with a strong pop hook filled chorus. They are well placed to ride on the back of the current upsurge in young bands with a melodic rock sound like H.E.A.T. Estrella, Santa Cruz et al.

They have ballads with ‘Down By The River’ a good ‘un. They can veer into treading water on a couple of songs in that you have heard to before and better, although overall they hit the spot more often than not.

This is a very assured debut album with the band sure to get more attention over the coming months and years. They don’t trade on the Dan Hawkins connection either, as they have honed their own sound and tunes since forming back in 2011. It is melodic hard rock with a strong pop edge at times. ***1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie


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