Before even hearing Romance, I was intrigued by their vague name. I didn’t know whether to expect a synth-happy pop affection or a heavy metal mayhem of a band. Seeing their band picture crossed upbeat music off the list, but still didn’t make for great clarification as far as their sound went. I put on ‘Paris Is Burning’ and the post-punk influence from Joy Division to Interpol was very recognizable. Vocalist Drew Jackson has distinct vocals that would remind many of a cross between Ian Curtis, Paul Banks, and Peter Murphy. His vocals are very complementary to the dark sound that Romance maintains. They seem to be borrowing some clothes from Robert Smith’s closet, just like The Editors have been recently. It fits their sound, though, as the dark catchiness of songs such as ‘Paris Is Burning’ and ‘Automatique’ are extremely catchy. Their history is slightly new, as they have only been around for barely a year, originating from Seattle. Their citation of influences from such bands such as The Chameleons UK and Bauhaus are certainly spot on. Their debut album, When Things Are Better, is recommended and you can hear the first two tracks below, with four tracks from the album on their web site. Romance certainly has the potential to reach high places.
[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/romance_paris.mp3]Â
[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/romance_automatique.mp3]
