“Hold No Grudges” is a recently released full-length album by New Rose, an outstanding Swedish alternative rock trio based in Stockholm. It contains nine wondrously written, composed, arranged, recorded, and produced tracks that will immediately grab your attention no matter which significant era of this very important rock subgenre you prefer. Speaking of eras, New Rose continuously levitate between the late eighties and early nineties, but they also lean towards a much more modern sound, reaching contemporary trends as much as possible or whenever they feel the urge to do so. Still, that’s not all. Quite the contrary, you’ll also stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from late sixties garage rock, seventies psych rock, eighties and nineties indie music, and even some noise rock here and there. Therefore, “Hold No Grudges” will convince even the pickiest rock ‘n’ roll fans to spin this magnificent album repeatedly.
As soon as you press play, you’ll notice that New Rose are not joking around. The album commences with “Devil In The Sky,” a slightly noisy alternative rock number with many outstanding moments. The band immediately showcases what they’re made of with marvelously sung vocal harmonies, intricate chord progressions and leads, equally complex low-ends, and well-accentuated drumming. It’s such a perfect overture into this ear-appealing sonic voyage. “Seeds” goes even deeper into the matter but with more Detroit garage rock and early Portland punk rock. This track resembles something bands like MC5, The Stooges, and The Wipers would eventually record during their careers. It’s catchy and melodic but still raw, abrasive, and dirty enough to tickle all your senses. Like on their previous song, New Rose shines bright, offering nothing but a premium musicianship. “Pines Are Trembling” goes even deeper into the garage rock depths, with heavily fuzzy, raw, dirty riffs that quickly lean much more towards semi-distorted chord progressions. It’s nearly mindblowing how this band slides between different ambiances with such ease without losing balance and consistency. They sound equally good in both calm and aggressive moments, thanks to their collective experience, skills, and talent.
“Deliverance (Rewop War)” carries strong early seventies psych-rock vibes, with all those calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal guitar works. You’ll be impressed with all the leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, and other sonic maneuvers. The high-pitched vocals during the choruses command attention and lead the listeners even further into the expansive sonic universe while the rock-solid rhythm section offers heaviness, clarity, depth, groove, and pace. It’s such a magnificent display of their abilities that will instantly convince you to proceed to listen to this marvelous full-length. “Silver Forest” could be defined as a jazzy, ambiental, psych-rock intermezzo or a passage that leads you into the “Fire Me Away,” another perfect example of New Rose’s transformative abilities. This composition keeps that vividly hearable garage rock ambiance but with so many elements borrowed from psych rock, art rock, pub rock, and even earlier NYC punk rock. Once again, the guitars shine bright in the mix with all those expertly arranged chord progressions. They perfectly handle arpeggiated and regular chord progressions, and there are luxurious riffs to back everything during much heavier moments. The basslines rumble beneath all those guitar layers, and their intricacies make this song even more delightful. It’s also good to mention that the drummer keeps a steady tempo, with occasional breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. Everything sounds top-notch from scratch to finish, offering a marvelous listening experience.
“Boot” goes down to the very foundations of psychedelic rock sound by gradually building a lush atmosphere with high-pitched, heavily distorted guitars, repetitious, hypnotic, addictive bassline patterns, and evolving drumming sequences. It’s a classic jamming session track with all those details and nuances lurking around. New Rose channels some Television, Talking Heads, and David Bowie spirits with “Twenty-Five.” It’s one of their best tracks on the album, thanks to marvelous singalongs, impressive musicianship, and ambiance that will become imprinted into your memory. It will transport you back to all those early garage, pub rock, art-punk, post-punk, and punk rock days when the bands put so much effort into their music as New Rose does nowaday. This magnificent musical voyage closes with “Three Piece Suite,” a heavy psych-rock, garage rock session where all modular synths, and all other already mentioned instrumentations reign supreme. It’s such a marvelous piece that showcases the New Rose’s instrumental and experimental side. These folks have created a masterpiece. Their music goes way beyond the alternative rock genre, breaking all the rules and pushing the boundaries of so many rock subgenres at once. Their impressive ideas and exceptional ideas are omnipresent on every corner, shining bright like the checkpoints and inviting you to proceed with listening and going even deeper into their luxurious sonic universe. You should immediately grab this gem on vinyl, which comes housed in a high-quality sleeve, adorned with minimalistic artwork. Head to their Bandcamp page for more info about ordering.
THOUGHTS WORDS ACTION 