Introducing: Los Roys
It’s pretty surprising that I ever got around to listening to Los Roys, considering most press emails I get with no explanation or description get relegated to the bottom of an ever-growing pile. But for some reason I opened the email that contained nothing other than a salutation and link to a bandcamp page. And despite the fact that most of these “listen-on-a-whim” digressions end in disappointment, I have to say that I was a bit intrigued by the mysterious band on the internet. I mean, the Los Roys EP, which is what was linked to in the email, probably isn’t going to change the face of modern music. It does, however, show more promise than most of what I have been hearing lately.
The EP begins with the sun-bleached instrumental “Blushing,” which evokes the long shadow of Santo & Johnny’s slack key influenced vibe. The next two pieces ‘Hush” and “Away You Go,” both change the EP’s tune to a psychedelic rock channel, accompanying upbeat guitar tracks with the lead singer’s occasionally spoken/sometimes harmonized baritone. “The Fruite Man” further mystifies things with a jazzy, bass-driven bout of weirdness. Finally “Wetter Jelly Below” bookends the EP nicely with a return to the surfy instrumental flavor of the beginning.
Without much to go on about the band, detail-wise, I am simply left with a first impression that is positive and open to hearing more. Los Roys, at first blush, remind me quite a bit of some of the talented bands that have blossomed through Moon Glyph Records, which fields a stable of generally like-minded experimental and psychedelic bands. If nothing else they are making an effort at uniqueness, which in my mind goes a long way. I guess sometimes it is worth it to open those random emails.
— Jon
