Rise of the Preston Stars, The Cases – Mr Penny E.P. Review

The Cases are an indie rock four piece from Preston who have been on a rapid rise on the grassroots circuit over the past couple of years. The band have been signed to This Feeling Records as part of their partnership with Lab Records, joining a roster of incredible acts showcasing the excitement around this band. The Cases aren’t messing about with this backing, with two singles released ahead of their debut E.P. Mr Penny, this is a super exciting release which will further cement them as one of the biggest rising stars of the scene.

The E.P. was recorded in Liverpool with Chris Taylor who’s worked with Blossoms and Courteeners to really get the best out of the band. Opening the E.P. is the title track ‘Mr Penny’ which was a track I felt like I knew for ages before it got announced. One thing The Cases do really well is social media content. They often go out onto the streets of Manchester and Liverpool to record quick clips of covers and unreleased tracks that build up excitement. So when ‘Mr Penny’ arrived, it felt like a familiar face. 

‘Mr Penny’ hits you straight away with rapid guitar and drum lines before relaxing into their more classic sparkly melodies. The lyrics tell the story of a man falling in the love with the wrong woman, a situation that’s not looking like its going to work out by the time the wedding day arrives. Despite what may be more sombre lyrics, the indie pop rhythms and vocal styles keep you grooving with anthemic choruses to contrast the style of the verses. The bridge brings you to the calm in the storm with soft guitars laying the foundation before a brilliant transition into a dominating guitar solo from Will Bullen and a summit of a final chorus. This opens the E.P. impeccably with the story of the relationship progressing.

The calming end of ‘Mr Penny’ flows into the slower intro of ‘The Curse’. This was the next single released ahead of the E.P. The guitars are dreamy, but with the line “back to you” from lead singer Harry Hornsby, the band are called to kick back into the high energy they’re known for. Backing vocals from bassist James Maher strengthen the vocal layers with thrilling melodies. This track comes together to give such a clean professional sound with the story continuing into the uncertainty around the relationship. This track abruptly closes as if to move onto the next chapter of the story in rapid fashion.

‘She Said’ feels like the unfortunate pinnacle of the couple’s story with the story moving into heartbreak. However, for the listeners, I feel this is the pinnacle of the E.P. I really loved this track. The band don’t just stick to the same formula and ‘She Said’ is a great example of their ability to reinvent their sound. The song is introduced with synthesisers, and the vocals immediately kick in afterwards. The drumming from Matt Barron is commanding throughout, with huge walls of sound supported by the guitars. The musical switches between slower bridges reflect the melancholic nature of the lyrics. This contrasts to sudden bursts of energy in the choruses to show the band’s dynamism.

The E.P. is brought to the end by ‘Romantic’ with the story coming to a positive conclusion as the track reflects on the release of being free to make a new start. This is a track I can imagine loads of fans just swaying along to the soothing rhythms. The foundations laid by the guitars really helped to bring everything together and stand out across the whole song. The vocals take on a lower pitch that match the reflective tone of the lyrics. ‘Romantic’ ties the E.P. together nicely both musically and as the end of the story of an unfortunate relationship.

Getting this E.P. early evoked such a buzz in me and after listening, I’m so ecstatic for all The Cases fans to get to listen to it as well. Mr Penny (2026) is an incredible effort from the Preston rockers, showing their dynamism, clever relatable storytelling and overall connection as a unit. The E.P. adds fuel to the fire of why The Cases are growing as quickly as they are as well as being so engrained within the scene amongst fellow grassroots bands. Make sure to go check them out and track their journey because the music is brilliant and they put on incredible live shows.

Words by Ruby Macklin