ROAR – “I Can’t Handle Change”

ROAR’s piece of psych-pop goodness, “I Can’t Handle Change”, was released back in 2010, but its quality certainly isn’t time-sensitive. This is a gem of a track. Taking a cue from Bryan Scary, Explorers Club, and BC Camplight, ROAR infuse a love for surf-pop and psych-pop with modern elegance. “I Can’t Handle Change” is immediately ignited by sliding guitar licks that resemble both infectious twee-pop and raucous art-rock, a pleasant wall of sound that nicely contrasts with the more minimalist verses that ensue. In the bridge, a somber string section accompanies defeated sentiments like “nothing I do is ever good enough.” It helps paves a return route to the expansive guitar-led beginnings, which is weaved into the stunning minute-long finale that lifts the tracks to dizzying heights. The Beach Boys’ influence is more prominent on “Duck or Ape”, where smoothly harmonized vocals combine with spacey synth arpeggios, sounding like the modern bastard child of The Beach Boys’ 1977 track “Solar System“. This Phoenix, AZ group is capable of quite a bit, so tune into their Tumblr for details on future releases.