Roomtones is an independent Brooklyn-based rock band formed in 2017. EP is their first official release, and it was produced and recorded by Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Swans, Herbie Hancock) in his notorious BC Studios. The four songs that make up EP take on a ‘loose concept’ involving flashing reminiscences of living in New York City in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. EP revolves around themes of loss, memory, aging and regret. The band composed of Dan Jacobson on guitar and lead vocal, Bill Jock on guitar, Jeremy Duvall on drums, and Eric Ruben on bass, counts The Modern Lovers, Alex Chilton, Lemonheads, R.E.M., Field Mice, and Pavement among their influences. Roomtones is interested in what's left, left of the dial. (For all you die hard Replacements fans, that’s a song off their 1985.… oh, forget it). The band’s bio states, EP is “to die over.” I’ll let you listeners be the judge of that.
“Down Along the Line” has a fresh, crisp sound and was meticulously produced as far as I can tell. The vocal harmonies along with the general melody of the song, was a pleasure to listen to. In terms of being the opening song, it felt like it just merely got my feet wet – not something that grabbed my attention all that much. Comparison wise, I could hear influences of Pavement, the Lemonheads and other bands of their time. Lyrically, the song is about the singer’s hatred toward psychedelic drugs – “When you’re coming up, I’m going down.” To put things bluntly, the artist states, “the so-called ego-loss that everyone was after with a hit of LSD on their tongues, turned out to be just another form of bloated narcissism.” Turns out that bad experiences, (which the songwriter apparently had one, or two), can form negative opinions of any drug. Ecstasy, alcohol or even any religion, can offer a similar result if you are only wanting a great experience but one that doesn’t turn out in your favor. Anyway, back to the music… “A Dream” takes on a harder, more rocking edge, but there are also softer moments in between the lyrics, too. Perhaps it’s just me, but the fact that Roomtones is from New York and this song takes on a more classic, post-psych rock feel, I couldn’t help but think that maybe the band was channeling Lou Reed here. I liked this number a lot more. Lyrically, it’s about a quarantine dream the singer had and how the ‘existential covid crises’ became universally relatable during the pandemic. Like, everyone having this ‘crises’ happen at the same time. The next track “Drawing a Blank” I liked even more. Roomtones notes that this was the song everyone was telling him should be the single and I would agree with, everyone. The band takes on the soft college rock/poetic Brit pop sound of the early ‘80s here. If you’re familiar with the earlier albums of R.E.M. (I’m talking Chronic Town, Murmur and Reckoning) as well as the earlier sounds of 10,000 Maniacs (The Wishing Chair) and the Smiths’ first album, then you’ll like this song. There is also a video on YouTube for this song. Roomtones’ last number is “Forever Almost,” and it starts with a cutting and tense guitar riff. If you like catchy rock tunes, this is your song. In my view, this last track takes the best of the classic rock sound and couples it with a post-grunge/rock style. Oh yeah, and there’s some twangy lap steel in here too – just to throw you off. In fact, this song was the artist’s attempt to write a country song, without it sounding like a country song. Something he admired about R.E.M.’s early work. I’m trying to think of a classic band that this song reminds me off, but anyway…. the way this song was written, especially the way the drums were played, remind me of Dinosaur, Jr. The words are about a band the songwriter used to be in that fell apart. He says, “Every good country song is about a broken heart – this one just pretends it’s not about a broken heart.” All things said, I thought each song on Roomtones EP had its own unique style, each one taking on a different sound, and expressing a different feeling. Even though conceptually the four songs center around the covid pandemic, it offers the listener a nice broad sampling of styles.
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