Every so often, a debut single lands that makes you stop what you’re doing — not because it’s loud or brash, but because it sounds ready. Bolton quartet Hometown, have done exactly that with their debut single Get Out The Cold, a track that burns with raw honesty, northern attitude, and the kind of melodic confidence most bands only find a few releases in.
Hometown formed less than a year ago — November, to be precise — through a local charity music group called Rockit, which matches musicians who don’t yet have bandmates. It’s a wholesome beginning that’s pure DIY indie spirit. Zach Swarbrick (lead guitar) Fern(bass) and Max (drummer) had already played together in a previous project that fizzled out, but instead of walking away, they doubled down — deciding to start afresh with just the three of them and adding Jack Bundy on rhythm guitar to complete the line-up. Zach stepped up to the mic, and suddenly the spark was there. Get Out The Cold is the sound of that chemistry catching fire.
Written by Zach, the song is written about his experiences living away at college and captures the tug-of-war between independence and influence — the thrill of new freedom colliding with the pressure to fit in. It’s reflective, but never preachy; vulnerable, yet defiantly self-assured. “It’s about resisting peer pressure and staying true to yourself,” Zach explains — and you can hear that conviction in every note.
Musically, Get Out The Cold feels like it’s cut from the same cloth as Britain’s best modern guitar bands — sharp, heartfelt, and totally unpretentious. Zach’s lead lines glide over Fern’s bass, which provide a heartbeat-steady groove, Max’s drumming punches with clean urgency, and Jack’s rhythm lines glue it all together with understated precision. There’s an almost cinematic quality to the production — widescreen but intimate, like the track could soundtrack both a packed-out gig and a solitary walk home through drizzle-lit streets.
What sets Hometown apart is how complete they already sound. There’s no hint of a band trying to find their sound; instead, Get Out The Cold arrives fully formed — confident, melodic, and emotionally grounded. It’s a song that feels like the end of one chapter and the beginning of something much bigger.
In a time when so much indie music chases algorithms, Hometown remind us of the power of simplicity done well — real instruments, real stories, and real heart. If this is what they’re offering less than a year into their journey, then the North West might just have its next great guitar band on its hands.
Get Out The Cold is out now on Spotify.
Gigs
7th November Sunbird Records (Free Entry)
14th December Big Condo Records, Warrington
Hometown Socials
ThisIsTheMusic 
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