Romcom Victims – Rainy Days
Buffalo’s resident jangly powerpop group Romcom Victims have released their sophomore EP Rainy Days – a buzzy, four-song ripper that has found itself on a shortlist of the best Buffalo releases of the year.
The EP opens with “Absent Minded,” which sets a fun, surfy pace right out of the gate. Anchored by floating guitar lines over a tight rhythm section, the vocals instantly command your attention with their light and airy delivery. Dipping in and out of the spaces present in the reverbed-soaked textures, “Absent Minded” is an immediate earworm. The second track “Street Rat” is a churning offering, led by earnest vocals recalling a hypocritical scumbag, or more appropriately, a rat.
The EP is anchored by the title track “Rainy Days.” A definite EP standout, “Days” is a bouncy two-stepper that alternates through slower orchestrated parts with blasts of shuffling drumbeats and an impossibly nimble bass line. The vocals lay overtop of the wild, folk-tinged instrumentals, creating lilting melodies over the punchy, uptempo music. The EP closes with “Afraid of the Cowboy” a jangly ripper that has echoes of Buffalo’s Lemuria. Anthemic and jangly in nature, the blistering drums really shine on this track.
Clocking in at just under 12 minutes, Romcom Victims leaves us wanting more – the hallmark of a truly great release. Each of the songs stands clearly on their own, but together, shows us multiple sides of a band that is blossoming into their prime. Sonically diverse, but all demanding of our attention, it’s very easy to see why this band (and particularly this EP) is getting the praise it is.
Check out all the ways to listen to Romcom Victims via their Linktree.
Categorised in: Album Reviews, Buffalo
This post was written by John Smigielski