Forming a band in 2020 can’t have been an easy task. It hasn’t stopped Hamburg’s Roller Derby from making quite an impact though. They’ve just released the second single of an intriguing trilogy and I thought I’d give Sonic Breakfast readers the heads up.
“You can write about the two songs but keep in mind that the first videos don’t match each other on the first sight. Only after the third video the coherent story will become clear. The third video will connect the first two videos. 🙂“, says Manuel, guitar player in the band when I ask him about the concept. I like the idea of a slow reveal, a bit of speculation and I’m all up for a guessing game about what is actually going on here.
In the opening gambit, the video for ‘I Wish’, we find our protagonist at the breakfast table. As croissants are consumed, we slowly get a sense that there’s something cathartic going on. Spirits are lifting as a relationship that is coming to an end is considered. While the inevitability of a break-up becomes more and more apparent, the appreciation for the other person becomes stronger: “I wish everything for you”, they sing as the chorus fades.
The music is ace. Roller Derby are a three piece and obviously students of wavey 80s sounds and modern indie pop. Philine Meyer has a vocal delivery reminiscent of some of Tracey-Anne Campbell’s fine moments in Camera Obscura. In fact, that’s the band that mostly springs to mind the most for me when considering comparisons. It’s quite a compliment.
Philine appears in the second video released on Friday. In Flying High, she appears in the dreams of our protagonist from the first video and proceeds to get involved in an affectionate bout of mirroring activity. Their touching is touching; the dreamy music ambles along with a subtlety that leads to surprise when the chorus has wormed itself into your head.
The final part of the trilogy and the big reveal is out at the end of January. Until then, we can only speculate about what the link might be. There’s plenty of personal growth being hinted at here and a sense that good things do happen for those that seek not to stagnate.
What do you think? The month will pass quickly as we ponder.
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