There's this style of US indie-punk that has definitely been on the high rise in the recent years, coming out of a number of DIY scenes in various states. Bands like The Front Bottoms, Tiger's Jaw and PUP have gained international recognition with their mixture of indie lyrical wit and distorted, playful instrumentation. Sleater Kinney returned last year with a No Cities To Love, a great album that just reinforced how influential they have been on the alternative music scene in the last two decades. Scranton's Petal released one of my favourite albums of last year. And bands like RVIVR, Wavves and Iron Chic have embraced this new direction, making their aggressive punk rock fun more appealing to a wider audience, whilst still staying true to their punk DIY-integrity. Into this scene come New Jersey band ROMP with their debut LP Departure From Venus. And let me tell you this, ROMP are fun. Departure To Venus is an energetic and exciting listen, full of indie-pop shine, shimmering keyboards, crunchy guitars and pounding rhythms. But below the pop sheen, Departure To Venus also has a deep, thoughtful and challenging lyrical narrative that adds a real sense of maturity to the band's compositions.
Right from Backfire's reverb heavy vocals and fuzzy riffs, ROMP immediately display their skill in writing catchy, memorable indie pop. And as the chorus gives way to a section with the powerful drumming - a highlight of ROMP's entire musical style, consistently interesting across the entire album - we're shown the two sides of ROMP that they effortlessly blend; their powerful, thrashy punky side, and their melodic pop sensibilities. Madison Klarer's lyrics also set up the themes that characterise the rest of the album, dealing with helplessness and uncertainty in how to move forwards in a relationship that seems to be sliding backwards, ultimately realising that she's ok with it ending. There's also the bridge in 15/8, which is ace to hear - the band are comfortable enough in their musicianship to challenge their listeners expectations from the very get go of the record.
The title track, Departure From Venus, helps develop this, with the keyboard flourishes adding a melodic sheen to the very Modest Mouse-esque riff. Klarer balances her lyrics around the safety and stability of remembering better times in a relationship, whilst dealing with its deterioration in the present. Whilst the music is beautiful and light, the chorus of "everyone says it'll get better, but I don't feel any better, liars, liars, liars, liars!" is full of spite and venom. The ability to balance the negative subject matter with such upbeat and energetic music is testament to ROMP's musicianship. It's also displayed to great effect on Last Year, a highlight of the record with its simplistic plucked riff leading into an absolutely monstrous chorus. Gorgeously simplistic and effortlessly catchy, Last Year doesn't have the instrumental complexity of Departure, but instead has every band member locking in to support the overall texture of the song. The track laments the passing of time and loss of another, finding hope in music, with Klarer saying "something in my head telling me to sing these songs for fun". It's also a love letter to the DIY scene, about doing things of your own band and finding other people who think like you to come together. Although the bridge to this track is a little lacking, it does serve to slow the song down for the climactic chorus.
ROMP aren't afraid to cut lose and play some straight up noisy punk. Get Off The Scale is frantic in its delivery, being very punky and aggressive, but still retaining a lot of melody and texture due to the keyboards. The bridge on this track helps pull it all together, creating a really claustrophobic tone that backs up the heavy subject matter of being shamed for your body image. It's also over blisteringly quick, so as not to overburden you with the negativity of its message - no one likes a buzzkill. The flipside of that is Come Undone, which is the longest song on the album, and also its highest point. Come Undone is classic quiet/loud, verses embellished by the keyboard, with Klarer at her most personal and gut-wrenchingly honest. Describing a breakdown, not being noticed by your crush, self-harming in the bathroom for attention - it's all fuckin' heavy, but the music is light enough that it manages to carry these really heavy lyrics. There's ultimately optimism in this punky, fuzzy slab of a song, with Klarer coming to the realisation that "I know you're not good for me, I'm better off alone". And the bridge, with its celebration of trying to see things in a new perspective, just adds to the irony that a song called Come Undone is about growth and developing. It's about having to break down, avoid the validation of others and being able to develop your own perspective in order to move on and accept yourself.
Naner Manor is perhaps the only misstep of the album. Whilst the drumming really shines on this, it's a slow burner of a song and I just don't think it's as effective at communicating it's message as other songs on the record. Despite being slow, it gravitates wildly between very empty spaces to a chorus that feels a little bit too cluttered, as all instruments compete for space. Whereas the other songs on Departure From Venus that deal with negative subject matter may try and reconcile it with recovery and moving on, Naner Manor doesn't really offer much. It's not a bad song, but it's not ROMP at their best either. Luckily, Avoiding Boys picks things back up, highlighting ROMP's skills at making catchy indie pop. It's just a pop-punk powerhouse of a song, where reigning it in a bit gives all the instruments space and allows everything to breathe a bit better. The chorus of "I don't care what you might say, this is gonna be a great fucking day," is definitely gonna be a singalong highlight of any of ROMP's live performances. Even though it may be less ambitious musically then the song that preceded it, it definitely benefits from its simplicity. It's just about having a good time in the summer, about recovery, enjoying yourself, and finding validation in yourself. By this point in the album, it seems like the band is getting a hold on how to remain positive following all the crap they've been through.
The last two tracks on the album seek to bring Departure From Venus to a solid conclusion. Musically, Go Back To Bed is a fun stop/start song that plays on being nervous and skittish, as well as lovesick. Worrying about the future, sick about being love-sick, Klarer also opens up about a potentially abusive relationship, with the lyrics "did I mean anything, will I be anything, the bruises have faded, my body's forgetting" feeling cathartic. In this fight with depression, the only thing that can be seen is going back to bed. It's a little bit like Naner Manor in being a buzzkill, but, like on Come Undone, the lightness of the music stops Go Back To Bed from being dragged down by its heavy subject matter. Luckily, the final song on the album brings the mood right back up again. Yapshutter is a straightforward, upbeat pop song and serves as an effective closer to the album. It gives a great sense of closure, as Klarer comes to the conclusion that whatever ended this relationship - this relationship that has left its mark all across Departure From Venus - she knows it's not her fault. With a triumphant chorus of "if you knew what I was, if you knew what I felt, we could have glued it all back together again," and lyrics like "do you read my old letters, do you wish there were more of them?", Klarer reclaims the right to forget this relationship, to realise that even though it sucks that this person has gone, she did everything she could to keep it together, and that she's got enough inner strength to get what she wants from elsewhere. There's a willingness to impart the blame onto the other person in this relationship, and an understanding of how important it is to have self-love and worth. The chorus is probably one of the best ones on the album and it rules, tying the album together nicely and providing a great sense of closure. With a final sassy putdown of "do you think about me sometimes?" Klarer lifts the weight of regret from her shoulders and puts it squarely on the other party.
With Departure From Venus LP, ROMP prove that they've got some serious skill when it comes to writing really catchy indie-pop, enough to put them at the same level as other, more popular bands in the scene. I'd go out on a limb to say that their songwriting rivals that of Adventures and Tiger's Jaw, and I really hope they're given enough exposure and support to help them reach their potential. There's not a lot of bad things to say about this album; even the songs that don't quite hit are still upbeat enough to get you nodding your head to. And there's a lot to really, really like. Klarer's reflective lyrics, unflinching in subject matter and self-reflection, yet ultimately optimistic and accepting, help create a coherent narrative thread that runs through the entire LP and tugs at your heartstrings, and the musicianship on display here is really high quality. Even though this is an album about regrets, there's nothing to regret in buying it. Departure From Venus should hopefully see ROMP arriving in a big way.
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