Fresh out of the starting block, The Roster have bold intentions to buck trends and kick out the usual genre stereotypes.
When everyone is trying to emulate the likes of Liam Gallagher or The 1975, the Derby four-piece are making their own mark on things.
Having just released their latest single ‘Masquerade’ drenched in slick melodic riffs, The Roster – Joe Petty (vocals and rhythm guitar), Louie (bass and backing), Tom Deighton (lead guitar), George Bolger (drums) – are force not to be reckoned with.
Joe’s vocals feel raw but with a kick in the chorus which has a beautiful guitar melody from Tom that you hear at the start which elegantly flicks and changes in rhythm.
“‘Masquerade’ is a very special tune to us because it was the first song we created whilst in lockdown,” the band explain. “We had to adapt to making tunes separately.
“For example, Tom created the instrumental for it and then sent it to Joe who then came up with the lyrics for it and then the tune was finalised by Louie who created the piano parts for the tune.”
With previous single ‘Indecisive’ and ‘Beyond Belief’ EP swaying to heavier alt rock territory, the band have instead gone in favour of picked guitars and vocal harmonies. It’s definitely one of the band’s most melodic single to date, and could quite easily be a stunning acoustic track.
The quartet take their cues from a wealth indie bands through the ages, resulting in their own inherently timeless brand that harbours echoes of bands such as Kasbain, The Courteeners, or even at times, The Las.
It’s not just a new way of writing and recording to which The Roster have been forced to adapt. Having only formed in 2019, much of the band’s career thus far has been spent under lockdown. And while some crucial early shows gave them a taste of performing, Covid soon put a stop to that.
Now armed with new material and buckets of energy, it’s only a matter of time before they’re back on stage.
