Bywater Call Lay Bare the Heart on Soul-Stirring New Single “Only”

Review By Darren McIntyre

Bywater Call are a powerhouse 7-piece Southern soul and roots rock band from Toronto, Canada. In 2023 the band played 96 shows in 10 countries, 89 cities, 19 US states & 3 Canadian provinces and performed a live stream for the famed German TV show Pockpalast. They have performed on Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive cruise, and Meghan & Dave opened for Southern California rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck on their sold-out European tour.

Review By Darren McIntyre

The band brought us their first new release of 2024 in the form of Holler and followed that with As If, Everybody Knows & Sweet Maria from their incredible album Shepherd. The band released a live album, Sunshine, that propelled them into new territory that brought them a legion of new fans. They released their first studio single of 2025 in the form of Hold Me Down and followed that with the barnstorming bruiser Ain’t No Friend Of Mine. The band was out on tour most of last year and gained a lot of new fans, which just lit a fire under them to get back to the studio and write some new music. Well, fear not, today sees the release of new music in the form of Only, which I will be reviewing for you today. Do yourself a favour, grab a bourbon & coke, settle in and prepare to be taken for a ride.

Only – The track kicks off with a real 80s-feeling keys section that instantly grabs our attention as Meghan lets her smouldering, mellow vocals lead the charge in this incredible piece of music. It is like walking into a blues bar and feeling the intense heat wrap itself around you as the band just gels together with their incredible tone that lets the blues roll freely through the arrangement. The rhythm section is controlling the direction of the track as the punchy snare/bass kicks let the song bubble under the surface as the composition just builds with ease as Dave leans in and gives us sweet, crisp guitar licks that let the whole piece breathe. The killer keys are just wrapping themselves around us and giving us a smooth, bluesy tone that lets the brass section tell its own story with cool, driving notes that merge the whole thing together as we feel the energy oozing from every musician as they deliver a soul-searching, thought-provoking piece that grabs our attention and won’t let go as we revel in the delicious melodies that are oozing from this toe-tapping, thigh-slapping track as the band just delivers a real doozy of a track that will have you reaching for the repeat button for sure.

Bywater Call  –

                      Meghan Parnell – Vocals

                      Dave Barnes – Guitars

                      Mike Meusel – Bass

                      Andrew Moljgun – Keys

                      Stephen Dyte – Trumpet

                      Julian Nalli – Tenor Sax

                      Bruce McCarthy – Drums

Track Listing –

                      Only