With new EP Head Down, Eastbourne-based five-piece ROAM have nailed the old school kind of pop-punk, perhaps five years too late for it to really stand out. The collection of five upbeat songs fit the pop-punk stereotype almost too perfectly without really making any individual stamp on the genre. Originality aside, the guys in ROAM have a lot of talent and enthusiasm and Head Down is a clear representation of this.
First song featured on the EP is ‘You Never Said’, which sneaks a glimpse into the humour of the band, starting with a sound byte of viral video ‘Just waiting for a mate’ before kicking into an all too familiar pop-punk riff and gravelly vocals rounded off with melodic hooks. Increasing the tempo is ‘Sticker Slap’ which in its not-so-lengthy play time sounds like it has been cut short, coming to an abrupt end just after one minute. A theme that comes across most frequently is the idea of young adults being behind everyone else in their lives and the idea of the misunderstood individual – nothing out of the ordinary there.
While Head Down works well as a package, the songs come across almost too similar, proving difficult to differentiate between tracks. A little more variation would have given the EP that zest it so requires. However, debut single ‘Headrush’ stands out at the very least with the slow middle eight, in which you can almost envisage a crowd of fans singing along. The structure of this track makes it the strongest of the five and as the final track it works well in rounding off the EP.
Musically, ROAM are there, however they still need a bit of variation and a pinch of originality to stand out amongst the crowd. Albeit an overly generically pop-punk selection of songs, Head Down is a well executed effort. With some fresh ideas and straying from the norms, the five-piece might be able to produce some music that doesn’t sound like something we’ve all heard before.
SAMANTHA MAE 