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WHO THE FOOK ARE THE ROOK - The Rook E.P review



Usually when someone inboxes me on Instagram asking me to listen to their E.P, I'm a little apprehensive. However, when the bassist of Leeds based band The Rook  told me about their debut E.P, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was there was no scam websites (or worse - pop punk) in sight, but it was a really solid set indie-rock of tunes.

Photo by Nathan Robinson
                                          
 
The eponymous E.P opens with '(Do You) Love to Feel?'. The introduction is a gorgeously indulgent layering of delicate percussion and a charming guitar lick, before exploding into a louder, rockier sound. The song is fuelled by beefy guitar and catchy lyrics, giving it a clean, no-frills vibe. It's everything you want from an indie rock song, its gritty enough to make it interesting, but still upbeat enough to dance and sing along to.
The Rook sound very similar to Newcastle band Sundance, who have been pinned down as 'the ones to watch'. However, The Rook have a more powerful sound and arguably have more substance to them, and I would say the better of the two groups.
The band then channel a more bluesy sound with the track 'Where I belong', with the opening riff resembling something that The Black Keys would be proud of. The song then conforms to the winning blues rock formula of soulfully singing about 'pretty little things' or your 'little baby' and a generous portion of big guitar riffs and a some vivacious drums for good measure.
Concluding the E.P is 'Rectify!' and it is without a doubt the strongest track on the E.P. The band combine punchy drums with yet another catchy guitar riff, making the E.P a hattrick of fantastic songs. The lyrics possess a witty grit, as anything by true Northern indie rock band should do. I'm particularly fond of the line: 'I was born in '94, way before you'. I can't personally relate to it however, as this makes the group three years my senior, so I probably fit into the demographic this quip is aimed at. The overall sound is really rich and the vibe it evokes is somewhat akin to a suaver version of The Strypes.




LISTEN TO THE E.P. FOR YOURSELF

FOLLOW THE ROOK:
https://therooksound.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/therooksound
https://soundcloud.com/therooksound
https://www.instagram.com/therooksound/

PHOTOS BY NATHAN ROBINSON
https://www.facebook.com/Nathan-Robinson-Photographys
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