Check This: The Red Romance

Went into work for the first time in what feels like forever yesterday (I'd like to report that New York hasn't changed a bit; also, I almost got hit in the head by a pigeon, NOT KIDDING) and my boss (I feel weird calling him that...) mentioned working with NY-based band The Red Romance, saying that they'd toured with the Killers earlier this year. Well, I thought, I generally like the Killers, let's see what this is about.

And wow, do I like these guys. Most of the press they've gotten compares them to the Strokes, but I don't really hear the Strokes too much. What I do hear is fellow former tour-mates the Killers. And maybe Bring On The Comets-era VHS or Beta (I think "You're So Cold" reminds me of "Can't Believe a Single Word"). And someone or something else. Something from the '80s. I can't put my finger on who or what, and it's sort of driving me mad.

But they're a less angular guitar-driven version of the Killers with more singable, more likable vocals; it's a softer, more pop-minded Hot Fuss (think "Change Your Mind") without all the angst and bad memories that HF brings. And that's, at least for me, refreshing. They don't have the most profound lyrics in the world (how many a musician has scribed the words "I never knew it could feel like this"?), but hell, who cares? Their music is catchy enough to make up for that.




Eagerly anticipating more...