The Reytons

South Yorkshire quartet the Reytons traffic in a grounded, regionally accented brand of indie rock that sits close to the early Arctic Monkeys template. Drawn from Sheffield and Doncaster, the four-piece came together in 2017 after informal encounters at open-mike nights and studios; vocalist and chief songwriter Jonny Yerrell joined bassist Lee Holland in enlisting Joe O’Brien on lead guitar and Sean O’Connor on drums. Following the off-kilter, outspoken debut EP It Was All So Monotonous, issued by Manchester’s Scruff of the Neck, O’Connor stepped aside for Jamie Todd. Months later the group issued the November 2017 EP Kids off the Estate, whose songs chronicled working-men’s clubs, budget evenings out, and youngsters still awake. August 2018 brought Alcopops & Charity Shops, while the 2019 standalone single “Wide Eyes and Halos” arrived after the first three EPs had already tallied half a million streams and the band had filled Sheffield’s Leadmill. “Retro Emporium” (late 2019) and “Headache” (early 2020) served as interim releases before the February 2021 EP May Seriously Harm You and Others Around You appeared. Several of its songs reappeared on the debut album Kids off the Estate, which entered the U.K. chart at number 11 later that year; an extensive October 2021 U.K. tour supported the release. Throughout 2022 the band maintained a heavy touring schedule that took them across mainland Europe before they played Liverpool’s Sound City, Kendal Calling, and Lakefest. Built on a robust guitar riff, September 2022’s “Avalanche” marked the first new material in a year. November’s “Cash in Hand & Fake IDs” leaned into sharper dynamic shifts, whereas the gentler “Fading” and “One More Reason” followed in successive months. All four songs featured on the independently released January 2023 album What’s Rock and Roll?, which appeared in 32 variants and topped both the U.K. and Scottish charts—an uncommon achievement for an unsigned act.