“Motorcycle Johnny” by Country Risqué feels like an old country record that got plugged into a louder amplifier and sent speeding down a back road. The song keeps one foot in the 1950s, but it does not sound stuck there. The pedal steel from Forest Reid is one of the first things that grabs attention. It gives the track that familiar country twang, while the guitars and drums push it toward alt-country and heartland rock. The production has a rougher edge than a polished classic-country recording. That works well here. There is some grit in the sound, and the arrangement feels lively without becoming messy. Miles Gordon and Daniel Bromfield also sound great together. Their voices have very different qualities, with Gordon bringing a rich, full vocal and Bromfield adding a cooler, more laid-back presence. Their harmonies give the song plenty of character. The tempo has enough movement to feel like a night out at a honky-tonk, but it still leaves room for the strange details in the lyrics.
The story behind “Motorcycle Johnny” is where the song gets especially interesting. It follows a debutante trapped by the rules and rituals of high society. Instead of accepting that life, she finds a way out at the local honky-tonk. The song fills that escape with images of motorcycles, rock ‘n’ roll radio, sockhops and the union hall. Those details make the setting easy to picture, even when the lyrics become more mysterious. Bromfield does not tell the story in a completely straightforward way. Some of the wording feels dreamlike and slightly strange, which gives the character more freedom to exist outside the expected country-song script. The contrast is part of the fun. You have this woman coming from a world of manners and social expectations, then suddenly there is loud music, motorcycles and a place where she can make her own choices. The 1950s references could have made the song feel like simple nostalgia, but Country Risqué twists them into something more rebellious. It feels less like looking back at the past and more like taking pieces of that era and turning them into something new.
What I like most about “Motorcycle Johnny” is that it has a real sense of personality. It can be enjoyed as a fun country-rock track, but there is enough oddness in the writing to keep it from feeling predictable. The combination of pedal steel, electric guitars, drums and those strong vocal harmonies gives it plenty of energy. At the same time, the lyrics leave some room for you to figure things out for yourself. I can imagine this working especially well for listeners who like classic country but want a little more grit in their records. Fans of alt-country, Americana and old-school rock ‘n’ roll should find plenty to enjoy here too. There is also something refreshing about hearing a queer country band take familiar country imagery and give it a different point of view. “Motorcycle Johnny” sounds confident, playful and slightly mysterious. It leaves you curious about what Country Risqué will do with the rest of As the Crow Flies. If this is the first taste, the full record could be a very interesting listen.
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