Imagine if the grunge scene had grown up, stopped being so surly and misunderstood, and evolved its sound. Imagine if the alternative rock set had gone beyond admiring their designer labels and staring at their complicated haircuts in the mirror and got on with the job at hand – providing a natural alternative to the cliched rock sound. Imagine if the underground sound had evolved enough to embrace a more mainstream accessibility. Well, the sound you are imagining does exist, and it belongs to a band called Lud Roes.
Initially called Avery and Ella, they say a name change was always on the cards, so what better way to announce this titular switch than via a cool new song and a fantastic new video?
“Waiting For B” has a big sound, almost giving the metal realms a run for their money in places. But it is also slinky and snake-like, the guitars grooving rather than grinding, melodically meandering rather than relying merely on muscle to deliver the desired effect. There is a staccato edge to the song, making it spiky, angular, and edgy, this space allowing room for the big chords to land even more majestically and for the whole thing to breathe.
The result is a song that is both big and clever. Not for Lud Roes the act of mere sucker-punch sonics; this is an ever-evolving soundscape, powerful yet poised, aggressive and articulate.
Perhaps that is the lesson for those who seek to emulate. It is okay to hit hard, but if you can do it through intricate orchestration, the layering of tone, and the contrasting of textures to build up the required weight, so much the better.
