Boldly stating their place of origin right on the cover of their debut album, it wouldn’t be hard to pin Rooney as being from California very far into the album. Playing a catchy syncopated, yet whimsical rock the band evokes qualities of the quintessential sunniness of the Beach Boys while mixing in a certain modern grittiness, which could be likened to the Kooks or the Fratellis. Although their music has a certain brightness to it, their lyrics tend to evoke a more somber, introspective tone along the lines of the Strokes or, even, the Shins (although not quite as sophisticated). At first such a pairing might seem uneven and out of place, however, one of the talents of Rooney seems to be their ability to combine the seemingly innocuous together into a thoughtfully catchy rock that is surprisingly listenable.
Most of the songs on Rooney deal with the typical pop fair of girls and relationships. However, much of the sunniness of the album seems to exist to contrast the darker edge to what is at first listen cast off as overdone pop. Songs like “Sorry Sorry” and “I’m a Terrible Person” reveal a complicated person who knows that his behavior in current and past relationships has doomed them and yet feels little real regret, just enough to not let the songs be actual boasts. This introspection paired with a swinging rock beat and clever vocal harmonizations that tries to create a musical depiction of a disintegrating relationship that is rotting from the inside out. Although Rooney is hardly on the level of a band like Radiohead for introspection and regret it is an aspect of their music that they succeed at well enough to garner some focus and some more careful listening.
All this is not to say that the band is only doom and gloom, “if it were up to me” is a lighter-hearted song about a man eagerly waiting his girlfriend’s response to a proposal for marriage, even going so far as to list that both of her parents approve! Again, not your typical rock fare. However, themes of regret and remorse are never far from the surface. “That girl has love” is a song about a girl who committed suicide whom the singer really did love and wished he had known better.
This album is a great debut for a band that adds its own Californian twist to the growing Brit influenced Indie trends of the past decade. Their musical influences clearly range from the classics like the Beatles and the Cars to more modern fair along the lines of the Kooks and Weezer and yet do a certain justice to every band who has affected their music. The songs are catchy and listenable while still intimating a deeper connection to the songs subject and even at times evoking considerations about the behaviors we often accept as normal in relationships. One of my favorite tracks “Stay Away” is song about struggling with crush who doesn’t realize that she is an object of affection and the singer’s dealing with how the crush affects his behavior around her. Another stand out track is “Popstars” which is a snarky critique of common pop, pointing the finger while fully knowing that they count themselves among the aforementioned… Not the stuff of prized poetry but done well enough to be fun and very listenable.
All in all this is an album that manages to combine thought with fun, bitterness with brightness, creating a mix that is somehow both fun and intriguing enough to be worth the listening.
Rating: 6/10
