Romance & Rebellion – Amps & Anthems (EP Review)

Los Angelinos Romance & Rebellion are ready to spread the good word about infectious melody via their brand new EP, Amps & Anthems, which arrives Friday, January 12, 2018.

While searching for their individual destinies, Pop Rockers Romance & Rebellion were brought together by fate on the bustling streets of Los Angeles in 2015. While they joke that they are a “not-so-garbage band,” the truth is that they embrace all the finest Pop sensibilities and yet offer up a rocking grit to their presentation that places them somewhere between bands like All Time Low and Paramore, though with a pinch of the infinite zest of 5 Seconds of Summer. That said, the boys reference an eclectic mix of artists that they enjoy, one that includes the likes of Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, along with Mest, Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance and, of course, The Beatles. Because who does not love The Beatles?

With one EP already under their belts and their social media star on-the-rise, Romance & Rebellion – Vocalist/Guitarist David LaViola, Lead Guitarist Aaron Medina, Rhythm Guitarist Aleksandr Landsberger, Bassist Brandon Davis, and Drummer Kyle Jordan Mueller – now present their sophomore EP, Amps & Anthems. The collection, while only four tracks, displays a band with a solid grip on infectious melody and relatable songwriting, and a personality that is anything but boring.

“For A Moment” sets the stage with catchy, fun, upbeat Pop Rock that might not save the world from Rocketman, but it certainly possesses some delicious bass-lines, harmonic gang vocals, and already feels like a familiar, old favorite. The downtempo, melancholy of “Put Me Out of My Misery” waxes poetic about a girl with a bad reputation who holds the heart of our emo storyteller, and this deadly lover just might be the explanation for the next track, “I Don’t Believe In Love.” An ode to letting go, this meandering ballad confronts the loneliness and the battle to move forward, clutching the pieces of your bloodied heart.

Putting all the heartache behind them, the boys crank up the pace to bopping good times on “Boys Don’t Cry,” full of anything but tears; this is Romance & Rebellion showing off their ability to flirt and have fun while always maintaining that lovely sense of melodic mayhem. In fact, this is the EP’s stand-out as far as what New Found Glory once termed “Something I Call Personality.”

On Amps & Anthems, Romance & Rebellion prove that they can craft and proudly execute a catchy track. Now these boys need to hone their craft further and inject that special dose of chutzpah into their blood that will truly set them apart from others in their genre, immediately turning the spotlight’s focus onto a band who do it all for the love of melody. For these reasons, CrypticRock give Romance & Rebellion’s Amps & Anthems 3.5 of 5 stars.

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