By DJ Monk
Does anyone remember the PledgeMusic scandal that gripped the Überverse around this time last year? Among the hundreds of bands badly affected by the crowdfunding platform’s apparent inability to pay the artists who had signed up to it were Brighton hard rockers The Rocket Dolls. Somewhat like the current C-19 crisis, many bands were forced to re-evaluate their positions, with a lot having to restart more or less from scratch. Which is exactly what TRD did, smashing through their original fundraising target when they moved their campaign over to their own merch store… now, a year down the line, the reward for that perseverance has been out, with the release of the resulting album…
With the album’s title having taken on a strangely apposite resonance, given the climate into which it has been released, ‘The Art Of Disconnect’ is a defiant statement: a confident, mature and powerful collection, a joyous amalgam of grunge, alt-rock, power pop and post-punk sensibilities moulded to together with aplomb, energy and the innate ability of it’s creators to craft songs which are both catchier than the beer bug yet thought-provoking in their lyrical content.
Big, crashing riffs are effortlessly counterpointed by intricately woven harmonies, which in turn nestle alongside impactful and memorable melodies and soaring choruses. The perfect pacing of the album’s tracklisting allows it to ebb and flow with alacrity, building layers of atmospherics which at the same time do not over-complicate or clutter the overall sound. And all of this is topped off by the absolutely devastating vocal delivery of Nikki Smash, who delivers a series of performances drawn directly from the depths of his heart and soul directly into those of the listener, captivating, entrancing and drawing you deeper and deeper to into the majesty of this absolutely stunning album.
The end result is a genre-bending album which will appeal to a genre-bending audience, from fans of post-punk progenitors such as Alkaline Trio to those who worship the ground on which Messrs Kennedy, Tremonti and their stadium-filling alt-rock counterparts tread. In a way, it is a pity that ‘TAOD’ has been released in the current climate: but, it could very well be a long-term boon as, when we finally come out the other side, we have three new superstars waiting in the wings, ready to grab the rock ‘n’ roll Überverse by the scruff of the neck and get it back on its feet.
- ‘The Art Of Disconnect’ is out now. You can get your copy, and other Rocket Dolls goodies, HERE.
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