Album Review: Romero - "Turn It On!"

 

If the Antipodes have been notable for one particular type of music in recent years, it's been stripped down garage punk (see Amyl & The Sniffers, the Chats etc). So in a way, it's good to see that Melbourne natives Romero, while maybe sharing a couple of superficial similarities with the above, are taking a much more melodic approach to the formula to set their stall apart and avoid being classed as bandwagon jumpers.

Which is all very well and good but the question remains - is it any good? Well, it's not the most original album you'll hear this year but at least this is a group with a good grasp on the formula, one part Blondie one part Primitives (or maybe a more poppy version of the Amorettes) to summarise it generally speaking, and a way with a decent hook and chorus as evidenced on the cut and thrust opener Talk About It, the riffed-up Honey or the cowbell-clunking Turn It On. Elsewhere the likes of Troublemaker and Petals have an enjoyably spiky kick to them to add a bit of aggression where it's needed.

It isn't quite all killer no filler - the likes of Crossing The Line, Neapolitan and Halfway Out The Door have a tendency to sink into anonymity but overall there's more good than bad here and while this isn't quite an all-killer-no-filler debut, it's certainly one with plenty of promise and a tight musicality behind it that Romero can easily build on to hopefully create something genuinely special next time out. Keep an eye on 'em.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

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