Album Review – Needle Factory by The Roves (2022) (The State 51 Conspiracy)
You could walk into any “locals’ pub’ in London and walk past any group of lads having a pint, a chat, and singularly unremarkable fun, and it could be The Roves. For the charm of this Needle Factory album, and indeed this act in general, is as much about the unremarkable normality of what they do not do as it is about the muted extravagance of how well they do it. It’s the sound of retro melody for the everyday man (and woman) enjoying the simplest of musical pleasures.
As such, the album drifts rather than plunders its way through the various nuances of yesteryear, adding perfect under-production and a complete absence of any “bells and whistles” to the dulcet juxtaposition of jangle-pop, psyche-pop, and just about every 60s act that dealt in “real tunes.”
At its most exquisite So Thankful, Pure As The Word, and Johanna & Miguel assuage the release with the essence of every 60s “everything pop” aesthetic you can remember. In terms of aural persuasion, The Roves’ natural sense of downplay complements such influences by removing all sense of ‘fluffy’ from the experience.
The pop sensibilities continue unabated in The Drug Deal, Mr. White, and Sundays Lost. The sound is jangle-pop inflected psyche-pop here. Again, their natural proclivity towards a complete lack of fuss adds muscularity and a sense of cohesion to the psyche years of The Beatles or The Kinks to make the aesthetic very much their own.
However, the very best of the release is heard in Alberto Zi & The Uptown Three, Archway Blues, Wally Pine, and Sick Free Idol. Here the sound is resplendent with the 60s inflected jangled riffs that adorned the majority of their 2018 eponymous debut album, and whilst such riffs are never far away from their sound, this London based quintet is truly special when they make such a sound their foundation.
At present, the act has a five-release plus merchandise deal on their Bandcamp site. I cannot imagine a more worthwhile purchase for anyone whose Christmas has not financially crippled them!
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