Across their previous two releases, ROAM distinguished themselves from their pop-punk peers by offering something raw and unpolished. While some pop-punk records seem nothing more than a carousel of catchy choruses, previous EPs, ‘Viewpoint’ and ‘Head Down’ stood out with more intricate musicality and interesting song structures.
It only takes one song from this debut album to sense a change. ‘Backbone’ favours a more commercial sound with clean, crisp production and an emphasis on delivering huge choruses which, despite dampening some of the band’s edgy character, makes for a solid debut that showcases the band’s song-writing skills and the ability to write catchy hooks.
The record takes time to warm up, ‘Cabin Fever’s’ forgettable chorus and predictable song structure makes for a tepid opening that doesn’t immediately convince you of the new, cleaner direction. Fortunately ‘Deadweight’ is on hand to lift the mood straight after, its chugging guitar riff and boisterous attitude bringing a level of energy that kicks the album off in true style and thankfully this standard persists for much of the record.
The combination of Alex Costello’s low, gritty tones and guitarist Alex Adam’s higher-pitched, poppier vocals elevates every melody and expands the range of possibilities in each chorus, from the incredibly catchy ‘Bloodline’ to anthemic closer ‘Leaving Notice’. The tone of the vocals and the layers of interaction between the two is the band’s biggest weapon and they capitalise on it throughout, acoustic ballad ‘Tracks’ being a stunning example, producing one of the highlights of the record with its excellent vocal arrangement and impassioned delivery.
Musically, the instrumentation of ‘Backbone’ provides a solid foundation for the vocals but rarely offers anything interesting or surprising on its own merit. The memorable riffs, intricate guitar licks and frantic drum patterns of the band’s earlier material take a back-seat and are outshone by the strength and prominence of the vocal hooks and melodies.Â
While this may not be a continuation of the raw, unpolished ROAM that challenged the formula of pop-punk, ‘Backbone’ is an accomplished debut album that adds more stock to the band’s growing arsenal of catchy songs and huge choruses, which fans of traditional pop-punk will be unable to resist singing along to.
MARK JOHNSON