The Rooves may not be a familiar name, but the band are slowly creeping into recognition, with some songs reaching tens of thousands of plays on Spotify. The band do not pretend to be elusive or pretentious figures, confessing to a shampoo fight on their twitter account and continuously interacting with fans.
The music itself is brilliant. The latest release, ‘Television’, sees a gorgeous summer time tone: you can’t really escape the infectious happiness of the entire thing. The chorus build-ups are as well written and timed as the chorus itself, and exude promises of live performances with lively crowds.
One could easily be lured into thinking the band seem to have found the formula for indie-band songs and stuck to it, slightly altering it with each track. This side of their discography is Bloxx-esque; female-fronted indie pop that you put on in the car while you’re driving with your mates.
But ‘City Veins’ and ‘Blue, 1903’ immediately make clear that the music refuses to be one-dimensional. The brilliantly simple ‘oh, oh’ interjections of ‘City Veins’ are inspired, making the song intimate and enchanting. It is clear that the music hasn’t been over-complicated; there is skill where it is needed, and refrain where it works.
‘Blue, 1903’ transports the band, song, and yourself out of the Spotify app on your phone and into a whimsical, drifting non-place with a sound that is gentle, lulling, and slightly haunting. The vocals are just slightly shrouded and darker than the other tracks, and there are just enough layers to the song to make it alluring rather than dull: a track more beautiful than akin to something that could be considered folk or boring. Every second captivates, and the track proves that the band have the range to continue to do interesting things.
TWELVE INCH 