{"id":75689,"date":"2019-01-31T15:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T15:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=75689"},"modified":"2023-02-24T14:50:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T14:50:25","slug":"review-rcklss-so-cynical-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-rcklss-so-cynical-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: RCKLSS &#8211; So Cynical EP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-75690\" src=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-600x599.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-768x767.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-465x465.jpeg 465w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art-501x500.jpeg 501w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/RCKLSS-cover-art.jpeg 961w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Self-described \u2018heavy pop\u2019 band <b>RCKLSS<\/b> are clearly aiming for the teenage market with their debut EP \u2018<i>So Cynical\u2019<\/i>. The Brighton quartet go for singalong choruses and high tempo pop-punk, a formula that\u2019s worked well for the likes of All Time Low and You Me at Six over the last decade.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty seconds into opener <em>\u2018Every Time\u2019<\/em>, it\u2019s immediately clear that the band are looking back to the pop-punk stalwarts of the mid-noughties. There are shades of \u2018<i>Infinity on High\u2019<\/i>-era Fall Out Boy with hooks that are unashamedly pop and an unmistakable American twang to Matty Halliwell\u2019s vocals. While \u2018Animals\u2019 feels less generic and more original than its predecessor, raising hopes for the rest of the EP.<\/p>\n<p>Things get better still \u2013 there is a sense that the EP is building up to \u2018Struggle\u2019. Starting off with atmospheric piano, vocals are then invited in. The lyrics are of the \u201c<i>lay me down\/\u2019cause I am alone<\/i>\u201d variety \u2013 not particularly novel, but they fit the tone. After a couple of minutes, with the introduction of the drums, it becomes more intense, striking more of an emotional reaction than in the preceding tracks.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"RCKLSS - Animals (Official Music Video)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C7TzdCxuW04?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Tell You\u2019 contrasts sharply with <em>\u2018Struggle\u2019<\/em> as it kicks in straight from the off. It returns to that mainstream pop-punk sound, but it\u2019s a marked improvement on<em> \u2018Every Time\u2019<\/em>. The catchy beat and chanted vocals would undoubtedly go down well in an arena environment<em>. \u2018Sorry For Trying\u2019<\/em> and <em>\u2018Empty Space\u2019<\/em> culminate the EP, the latter particularly impressing. Starting slowly, it gradually builds up to an impassioned second half, Halliwell protesting that \u201c<i>the empty space you left is killing me<\/i>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RCKLSS<\/strong> are at their best when they ditch the meat-and-potatoes pop-punk, as they did with \u2018Struggle\u2019 and <em>\u2018Empty Space\u2019<\/em> and inject more individuality into their music. It\u2019s a release from a band still finding their feet. There\u2019s clearly potential there, they just need to keep being more adventurous in developing their own sound.<\/p>\n<p>3\/5<\/p>\n<p><i>\u2018So Cynical\u2019 <\/i>EP\u00a0by <b>RCKLSS<\/b>\u00a0on 1st February.<\/p>\n<p><b>RCKLSS\u00a0<\/b>links: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rcklssUK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> |\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/rcklssUK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rcklssUK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Words by Adam England\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamEnglandSO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@AdamEnglandSO<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;RCKLSS are still finding their feet but there&#8217;s clearly potential there.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":75690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2269],"tags":[16012,16531,16532],"class_list":["post-75689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ep-review","tag-adam-england","tag-rcklss","tag-so-cynical-ep"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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