ROKETS – Break Free
Release Date: 9th December 2022
Label: The Sign Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Rock, Rock ‘n Roll, Garage Rock, Punk Rock.
FFO: Hellacopters, Liar Thief Bandit, Backyard Babies, Grande Royale.
Review By: Paul Franklin
There must be someone making a fortune from de-icer in Scandinavia! Given the sheer proliferation of garage rock bands on the scene there can’t be a single car in Finland, Norway or Sweden being kept in one.
One such automotive displacer are Helsinki’s Rokets, formed in 2017, Break Free is the follow up to their 2020 debut. Sticking with the Scandi tradition of short, sharp and to the point, it’s nine cuts of high-octane rock ‘n’ roll in under half an hour. Super catchy melodies, blazing electric guitars, and tight, pounding rhythms – all layered over some deliciously bouncy power-pop songs.
With more licks than an overexcited Labrador, a vibrant exuberance drips from all the tracks. Destroyer ups the tempo a little, Best Kept Secret slows it a little, but both are glorious validations that, handled with passion and care, energetic rock can be happily spooned by classy pop. Whereas, final track, Roots, is so enduringly and heart-warmingly nostalgic, it should only be available in sepia.
Break Free is in serious consideration for my End of the Year list. There is just an inescapable pure joy to it. It’s not bothered about being big and clever, it’s not trying to be a tough guy hanging around with the local bikers pretending to enjoy rough whiskey and cheap tobacco. It’s just throwing a welcoming arm around your shoulder and boogying the night away in total abandonment. And if that means that some of the chords in Burn Down the Wall have a whiff of Status Quo, or the likes of Cherry Kiss and Night Time are liberally sprinkled with “na na na”’s and “oo oo oo”’s who really gives a shit!
Not me. Love it!
(4.5 / 5)
