ROGUES
WIDOWS EP
RELEASED: 23rd NOVEMBER
LABEL: FRIENDS VS RECORDS
Following the release of their lauded 2009 single ‘Not So Pretty’ and fresh from the summer festival circuit playing the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury, V Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival, Harrow based Rogues return this November with a four track EP entitled ‘Widows’.
Hailing from North West London, Rogues are brothers Pearse MacIntyre (guitar/vocals), John MacIntyre (bass/backing vocals), Tom MacIntyre (drums) and extended family Sam James (guitar/vocals) and Patrick Fraser Stansbie (synths/backing vocals).
Formed in the summer of '08, Rogues' pivotal debut single and live shows have generated a storm of interest gaining support from the likes of Zane Lowe, Steve Lamacq, John Kennedy, Huw Stephens, NME and The Fly and have established an ever-growing legion of followers.
First up is feel-good pop vignette 'MerryGoRound'. Galloping through fantasy and imagery, Rogues’ trademark new wave synths and Pearse and Sam’s emotive harmonies, this track gleams with all the hallmarks of a perfect pop song. A circular story depicting a spiraling fall from grace 'did you ride on the merry-go-round, too fast to slow down?'
Surfing on a wave of skewed pop and brooding New Romantics, the second track, 'Mechanical Heart', approaches from a distance before suddenly bursting into colour. An allegory of forbidden devotion to 'the girl with the mechanical heart.’ Tight vocal harmonies and hardened beats spawn a track that oozes drama and penache.
'The Sound of Murder' is a cryptic warning siren. Powering through ecstatic supercharged riffing, and soft ethereal vocals, a darker side is revealed in the lines 'you've got a lot to learn, of the ways of my cold, cold heart'.
And finally, the sunbeam chimes of 'Violence'. Atmospheric harmonies and airbrush falsettos wash over glistening synths, detailing a hair- trigger protagonist with 'reptile eyes' and a 'glass mind'. A sublime piece of summer soaked pop.
Surreal yet frighteningly accessible, this is addictive, weird pop at it’s very best. Catchy but never predictable, 'Widows' is an unmissable EP from a band who’s future looks neon bright. The name you will remember is Rogues.
LIVE SHOWS
1 Oct - Red Lion - Twickenham
6 Oct - Monarch – Camden
20 Oct - In The City - Manchester
23 Oct - SWN Festival - Cardiff
24 Oct - Oakford Social Club – Reading
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