Review: ROSH – Mending Season ☀️

Sheffield’s very own ROSH has put out another incredible single, “Mending Season”! We’ve featured their music in the past on our The Wrap feature and we were so blown away by this one, we decided to do a lil one-off review for them.

Following the release of their previous single “This Is What You Asked For“, a politically-charged delicate and intricate tune pertaining to the fight for inequality and wealth distribution, they’ve returned with another fantastic single here which only shows how much of a force they’re to be reckoned with. 🤘 maintaining their signature sound, mixing elements of jazz and rock into an acoustic folk setting which creates a truly unique sound that is not only easy to listen to, but thought-provoking and melodic through the whole journey of the songs.

“Mending Season” starts with a soft melody played on ROSH’s acoustic guitar, and as it sweeps into the verse the drums calmly crash in and ROSH’s vocal falsetto sears above the track, almost like a wave flowing into the shore. You can really feel the emotion and intricacy put into this track, each element seems like it’s been placed with such care to ensure the atmosphere of the track is just right. 🌊 throughout the track, it builds and builds – yet so calmly, with violins and strings emerging to really pinpoint and solidify the melody of the song – as it travels to the final chorus, it’s almost a contained chaos, with so much going on in the soundscape of the track, but with every instrument working perfectly in tangent with one another to create something that is truly beautiful.

The lyrics are written about the pandemic – the sense of waiting, the uncertainty of the times in which we all experienced – the anxiety and stress that came with waiting upon every single announcement that was put out by the government and the discomfort of a complete shift in the balance of everyday life. ROSH says on Bandcamp that “It’s about the collective wound we have all suffered during this pandemic, where some have suffered more than most, but where we all have lost something. I was thinking of all the people I hadn’t seen in months who were hurting, and considering what it would take for all of us to collectively heal from the experience.” With lyrics such as “Cast as mutes in another fight, the subtle rite, even numbers can’t sanctify“; you can really see the quality of songwriting shining through here, not only are the lyrics a beautiful interpretation of such a strange time, but to still maintain vocal melodies of this calibre really puts ROSH as one to keep an eye out for here. 😊

Not only this, but the b-side to the single, a song called “Fated“; is truly a gorgeous tune in its own right! Continuing almost seamlessly from the a-side, it retains both the intimacy, delicate melodies and soft ambience of the previous track. We absolutely adore the songwriting here, it’s a discussion upon the fate of civilization – so eloquently put, and as we said before, melodically superb. There’s always something for us about songs that take deep questions and philosophical ideas and give the writer’s thoughts upon them. Well worth listening to both of these tracks! 🙌

you can find the full single on all streaming platforms (Spotify / Apple Music) and on Bandcamp as pay as you feel, also there’s a full music video for it over on YouTube. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for this artist; with an album on the way, we’re sure they’re destined for great things. 🍞

NEW: Tay Temple – Time That Mattered (Review) ✨

our incredible pal Tay Temple has just put out her brand new single “Time That Mattered“! ☀️ Tay’s one of the most hardworking people we know and her music is a beautiful expression of her creativity and individuality, really putting everything she can into her music to convey her thoughts and feelings. her previous releases are insane, her debut EP “Painfully Aware” is a sublime collection of songs that not only sound amazing, but really put you into the world of Tay and her thought processes and experiences. it’s a lovely journey from start to finish! 🛤

this new single “Time That Mattered” is the first single since her EP came out last year, she’s been working super hard in the studio with her band on this and you can really hear the connection that each of these guys have with each other. each of the instruments blend perfectly together, giving each other room and space whilst simultaneously coming together to really create something that sounds so incredible. 🤘

right from the get-go, it immediately starts on an upbeat vibe with a strong and steady drumbeat, grooving bassline and Tay’s vocal right there in your face – all whilst Jordi’s guitar melodies are flowing across the sonic space giving the track a real pace to it. as it nears the chorus, the track builds so well with cymbals splashing, and drum fills that almost hesitate the flow of the track until it explodes into the chorus where Tay starts belting it out and really giving it her all. the vocal melody of the chorus is superb, and it’s definitely one that we can see being a singalong one at live gigs. ☀️

after the second chorus comes to a close, Jordi pulls out a HUGE guitar solo, really showing off his capabilities as a competent guitarist – not only does it sound absolutely massive, it’s perfectly balanced to the flow of the track and it really sits so well for the song and only compliments how fantastic this song sounds. Tay’s vocal comes back in for the bridge, and at this point she’s proper going for it, putting every emotion she felt writing the song into her voice and just showing off how far she’s come since the release of her first single. not only this, but the guitar solo is shredding it out underneath and really just creating such a brilliant space – this is one of our favourite bridges that we’ve heard for a long time, it’s the whole band performing together so well, in perfect sync, and really just putting everything they can into it to show off their talents. 🙌

you can really hear the emotion put into the lyricism, it’s a tale of pain and love – so relatable to us all, a really pure and honest outburst of feelings. this is what we love about Tay’s lyrics, there’s no holds barred, it’s always just the complete truth of how she’s felt and she turns it into a fantastic tune not only lyrically, but musically, with vocal melodies that are just on point, every time. 💥

we are ABSOLUTELY blown away by this tune. we’ve known Tay for a real long time now and this is a real testament to how much work she puts in every single day to her music – how much talent she has, and all of her band (Jordi, Jasmine and Red) syncing up perfectly well and showing off their musical capabilities. we can not wait to hear what else she has up her sleeve – it’s definitely proven that Tay’s one to watch for this year, and is on her way to big things.

you can find the full tune on all streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music and more – give her a follow on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date on her live gigs and info! 🍞