How often do you cringe when someone mentions Tinder? For one reason or another, it’s probably more than most of us would like to admit. The mobile dating app is notorious for its flaws, but the truth is, most of us have used it at some point. However, if New Jersey punk band ROMP are anything to go by, it would appear we have been using it wrong. “Lucas (Dalakian, guitar) and I both liked John Mayer and Brand New, so that led to us talking about music and eventually meeting up,” says vocalist/keyboard player Madison Klarer, explaining how the core members of ROMP met thanks to them both “swiping right” on Tinder. “Lucas had to parallel park my car because I'm a chump, and ever since we've been great friends”.
While it may not have been a love match, Klarer and Dalakian’s common interests would lead to something far greater: making music together. “Our original bassist convinced me to try and play music at a party,” explains Klarer, giving us some background as to how ROMP became a full band. “I scrambled together to find people I knew that played instruments. I asked Lucas to come over to my parent’s house to play because I knew he loved guitar. Later we added Chris (Beninato, bass) when we needed a bassist to record the new record. He’s been friends with Lucas since middle school, and Lucas taught him how to play bass back then. We just recently added Mike (Linardi, drums). He’s been in a lot of projects anywhere from pop-rock to hardcore, but now we’ve unleashed him on the punk scene.”
The record that Klarer speaks of is their excellent debut album, ‘Departure From Venus’. Imagine the bitterness of Makthaverskan, the brittle edge of FIDLAR, and the saccharine hooks of Rilo Kiley, and you are just about there. It’s more punk than a regular pop-punk album, but the bright melodies that weave in and out of the album are just as infectious as any pop song. “We definitely struggle to find a name for the genre we play,” she says. “We have a little punk edge to our songs, but we definitely try to organize them as pop songs. That’s what we like to play, and everyone can easily listen to them. Nobody likes a 5 minute song, let’s be honest. I mean there’s good ones, but we’re a young band, we just want to hit ’em quick.”
ROMP wasted no time in getting their full length together, having put out their ‘Sorry, Not Sorry’ EP in the latter part of 2015. The band worked with Bad Timing Records (Knuckle Puck, Pentimento) once again, which Klarer tells us has been nothing but a pleasure so far. “Zack (Zarillo) reached out to me a few months after the EP was released and expressed an interest in doing an LP,” she says. “We kept in touch over the following months and shared some rough mixes of the full length. We decided it would be a great match since they’ve been an awesome support system for us. They pick out cool colours for vinyl releases, too, which rocks.”
As with any follow up to a well received release, ROMP were well aware of their need to up the ante on ‘Departure From Venus’. “The approach was very similar with the album, but we definitely wanted to go for a more aggressive sound,” says Klarer, looking to build off what they achieved with the EP. “There’s only so much you can do with 4 or 5 songs, so we were able to add some more interesting time signatures and styles than the EP. We have a couple songs in 3/4 which brings a cool rhythm that we’re going to explore more, but just couldn’t as much in a shorter release.”
One of the most endearing things about the album is the gritty production. With Jesse Cannon and Mike Otto at the helm, the sweetness of ‘Departure From Venues’ is shrouded by a raw, live sound, without sounding too scrappy. “Even though we don’t really sound like say, FIDLAR, I think their production is something we thought was cool. It’s very clear and well mixed, but it has an edge to it. It’s a hard thing to pull off but I think it shows what our live show is all about.”
While some tracks on the LP, such as ‘Get Off The Scale’, or ‘Go Back To Bed’ may come across as angry, and at times, bitter, Klarer insists that this isn’t intentional. “It’s more just an expression of how I handle my emotions and my own personal journey,” she explains. “Writing these songs is a way for me cope, and it’s been so therapeutic. Music is an amazing outlet to channel emotions, and to share experiences with other people.”
With the band being in their formative years, ROMP are still working around day jobs and education. Klarer laughs as she explains she is in her last semester, and despite enjoying learning, she is “so ready to graduate now.” Both Dalakian and Beninato work in video installation. “Lucas is totally a baller shot caller who runs the office, and Chris is the muscle,” she says. “Our drummer Mike, who recently joined, works as a session musician as well as slinging vapes.”
Day jobs aside, ROMP are still able to play out as much as possible, and Klarer says they have a few weekend tours in the works with some of their friend’s bands. She hopes this will leads to some longer runs throughout the year, and expresses her enthusiasm of touring. “Touring has been awesome,” she says. “It’s really the best way to travel, because we’re able to make a lot of likeminded friends who are doing the same type of stuff as us. It’s impossible to predict what’s going to come of the band but we’re lucky to have made lifelong friends along the way.”
The list of friends ROMP are making is only going to grow from here. With ‘Departure From Venus’ under their belt, and more people falling in love with it, their reach is going far beyond their hometown of New Brunswick. “We’re pretty lucky that we’ve gotten to play some great shows out of state,” she explains. “We really love playing all over, but Ohio has been really receptive. Akron, Athens, and Columbus are all amazing scenes and they sing our songs 500 miles from home so that’s wild. We’re hoping to keep up the touring into the summer and fall, with a bunch of longer runs. Reach out if you want us to come to your city!”
‘Departure From Venus’ is available now via Bad Timing Records.