The Hampshire trio have created an effortlessly melodic soundscape of psychedelia and escapism.
Recorded at London’s Eastcote Studios with regular producer George Murphy, 'The World Within Our Bedrooms' is a testament to youth and adventure; an escape from mundanity and proof that art will always open a door for those looking to escape.
The 15 track debut album starts with a steady baseline line which builds up to a classic dreamy shoegaze melody on the opening track ‘Building Song’. The enchanting vocals of lead singer Sarah set the vibe for the rest of the album, subtly her vocals become stronger and even more beautiful as the listening experience continues.
The second track ‘Secret Plan,’ released before the debut album (along with ‘Frame of Reference’ and ‘What’s On Your Mind’) starts off with a classic bedroom pop sound until the bridge takes you to a new sphere of electronic keys and continuous snare beats before exploding into a disco-esque mirage of everything that was not expected from the band.
The element of surprise continues throughout the album, defying all genres the band have taking bedroom pop and elevated their sound with intense drums, groovy baselines, and static keyboard breaks, which can be seen specifically in the fourth track ‘Elevator’. Like its title the band have constructed a simulated sound riddled with a nostalgic feeling, which could well and truly be the soundtrack to a hazy summer dream. The most interesting track in my opinion is ‘Walking Talking Marathon’ opening with the staccato intertwining of Sarah’s intonation which mirrors that of a mesmerising whaling siren, the ears of the listener are instantly pricked. Towards the end of the track Sarah’s dialectal accent shines through adding another dimension to this elicited track.
The debut album from Drug Store Romeos, spins the listener through their divine disco dreamscape and back a million and one times. The band explains: “The album is a journey of emotions and colour schemes. A lot of bands have a consistent emotion across their whole album but we wanted to reflect the ever-changing nature of someone’s mental state over a period of time. We always wanted to create our own world, and as a three we have this force field around us.”
The second half of the debut album follows this journey claimed by Drug Store Romeos, with melodic sounds, organ-like keyboards, and continuous snare drum beats on tracks like ‘No Placing’ and ‘Vibrate’. The lyricism throughout the album is exquisite, especially on the track ‘Kites,’ which compares that elated feeling of love to that of flying kites. Opening with the lyrics “a history of flight / I'm not talking with gravity/ dreams of an aided flight/ open-air, swimming pools.” The song then goes breaks in the course, producing an electro theremin-like key section whilst Sarah’s vocals delicately compare kites to that of “intimate minds.” ‘Kites,’ is definitely one of the softer, prettier songs on the album.
The album comes to a natural and soft ending, with the fairground sounds in ‘Put me on the Finish Line’ and the lullabied ‘Cycle of Life’, until finally bookended with the stunning climaxes of ‘Adult Glamour’, with Beach House like drums and guitar riffs. The closing number ties all themes together, with the long wilted, haunting vocals exclaiming that she is “searching for something new”, naturally from the journey of emotions and feelings a fresh start in their newly discovered world is just what is needed for Drug Store Romeos.
Overall Drug Store Romeos debut album was a fantastic foot in the door, sharing the diversity of this band and proving they are more than just a bedroom pop trio from Fleet. What’s to come from the band in the future could be really special if their debut is anything to go off!
Niamh Boorman
@niamh_boorman
Image: Neelam Khan Vela
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