A consuming sound shows across the Not Today Old Friend EP from Rolla’s, the solo project of Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist Vallen Koscheev. Its sound blends the enjoyably unpredictable movements of math-rock with anthemic touches of alternative and emo, resulting in a memorable rock aesthetic that persists in its stylishness and knack for rewarding structural momentum.
EP opener “Holidays Are Just Around the Corner” unfolds with artful momentum, expanding from quaint guitar trickling into pit-pattering percussive intrigue and a rousing rock catharsis. The chiming guitar textures remind fondly of The Wrens, while the mid-point excels in its melding of multiple vocal layers — exuding a “deep inside…” introspection on distance from friends and striving to maintain those connections — amidst intensifying guitar tones. The ensuing track also impresses; “Sitting Here Depressed When I’m Surrounded by the Happiest People in the World” shows a dynamic instrumental appeal, succeeding in both moments of halted math-rock charm and breezy guitar/electronic interplay.
Another highlight, “This Ominscient Point of View Has Some Bonuses” also satiates in its rewarding build-up. Twangy guitars bolster a conversational vocal, musing on one’s sense of purpose and “the mediocrity we all feel at the core of our being” between both dreamy jangling and an impassioned pulse of guitars, synths, and rhythms taking hold as the second half arrives. EP finale “Father of the Year, Pal, Father of the Year” also consumes, invoking a math-rock amiability in its eclectic guitar-based movements from contemplative to passionate, as simmering vocals appear with magnetic effect. Not Today Old Friend is a fantastic EP from Rolla’s.
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
