If you’re looking to jumpstart your spring, you could do a lot worse than ROSSER’s hook-heavy power-pop. The punchy guitars, blocky rhythms, and sleek precision—it all feels so emphatically wired and, yet, effortless. It’s decidedly warm-weather music, far more interested in seeking out a good time than exploring hard truths. I mean, just listen to the carousel keyboards and cowbell pings that percolate throughout the band’s new single “Crazy Glue.” In a way they’re preposterous but I still find myself searching them out, eagerly awaiting their return.
All this is not to say that ROSSER are mere vessels for aimless joyrides and self-indulgence. The band can be silly, sure, but even their most candy-coated moments hit with a kind of winking sincerity. The rest of “Crazy Glue”—the sharp, airtight verses and exploding chorus—is simply killer, no filler pop rock. So, in a way, we can be excused for not digging below the surface. But when vocalist Leif Westermark asks “Why do you smile? / Why do you smile so big?” on the song’s glossy bridge, it prods the listener to ask a few questions of their own. Namely, what exactly is ROSSER going on about on this track?
Fortunately, Westermark isn’t shy about clearing up any mysteries: “It’s essentially consumerism and social media addiction in a digital influencer world and how we constantly crave what’s trendy; boxing ourselves in an ego-driven world and forgetting who we really are.”
In contrast, ROSSER know exactly who they are and where they want to go. As a result, “Crazy Glue” strides forward with vigor and purpose. Like the band’s music, the video is brightly-hued and playfully exuberant. The collage-like textures and cut-out backgrounds give it a distinct online quality like a meme generator sprung to life. But, in the end, it’s the soundtrack that cuts through the most. Taut and deliriously catchy, “Crazy Glue” is an impressive sonic statement that’s as sticky as it is fun.
Watch/listen above.
“Crazy Glue” will be available on Spotify and other streaming platforms tomorrow, Apr. 26.
More Info
Web: housecatrecords.com/rosser
Bandcamp: rosser.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @thebandrosser
Instagram: @thebandrosser