L-R: Brett Miotti, Jason Hansen, and Kelly Nunn. Photo credit: Brian Manley
With perhaps a bit of intentional irony, Denver-based rock trio and Big Takeover favorite Riot For Romance releases full-length LP Learning to Unburden Myself on Valentine’s Day. The album will be available for chaotic and amorous festivities (or conscious uncoupling) on vinyl LP, CD, and digital formats.
Riot For Romance creates a glorious racket of alternative rock, formed from a swirling confection of post-punk, emo, and shoegaze roots. Editor Jack Rabid has compared the layered guitars of frontman Jason Hansen and multi-instrumentalist Kelly Nunn to ’90s alt-rock heroes The Catherine Wheel in the printed pages of The Big Takeover. The sound will appeal to fans of bands like Sonic Youth, Sunny Day Real Estate, Narrow Head, and Glitterer.
The band has released a lyric video for focus track “For Ages.” Hansen’s lyric finds a relationship at an impasse. Both partners are shut down and holding back their true feelings. “You don’t even know me,” Hansen sings in a torrent of melodic frustration. A steady chime of guitars reminiscent of Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie propels tense verses that explode into sinewy bends and a muscular chorus, while Nunn deploys a resilient and thundering beat.
Bassist Brett Miotti plays guttural countermelody reminiscent of The Cure’s Simon Gallup during “Single Strand Burden.” The song expresses the resolve to shed existential dead weight and break cycles of failure. “This time we won’t falter,” repeats Hansen with urgency.
The band reveals another key influence with a reimagined version of Radiohead‘s “Karma Police.” The song’s reverb-drenched guitars and ambient keyboard textures are tethered by the deep growl of Miotti’s sturdy bass line. “Sitting in View” describes the relatable experience of feeling like an outsider or invisible even in the midst of a crowd. “Toxic and Tampered” veers toward the band’s heavier side, with Nunn’s booming drums, bone-crunching guitars, sharp shrieks of feedback, and Hansen’s keening vocal. Touchstones include purveyors of melodic alt-metal like Quicksand and Hum.
“This Way Comes (Something Wicked)” is a throwback to shoegaze a la Slowdive with watery guitars that resonate with The Autumns and Echo and the Bunnymen. Hansen’s melancholy vocal describes the bitter end of a relationship that nearly went the distance. “Truth be told, we should never have bothered,” he sings with regret. Happy Valentine’s Day, you lovebirds.
Look for the band on tour in North America with an expanded five-piece lineup during summer 2025.
Find Learning to Unburden Myself at Steadfast Records.
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Riot For Romance on Bandcamp
Written by Jeff Elbel.
