Let me cut to the chase–if you haven’t heard of the Phoenix band ROAR, check them out. ROAR is sunburned pop with a bite. The music is over-orchestrated in the best possible way. Each note comes across as carefully chosen and right in place–think of a modern day Beach Boys, but with lyrics that are more morose and introspective. Take these lines from the ROAR song Dream:

“You can’t see the forest / If the trees never stop burning / Sounds like a joke when told to me / I should be learning / Feeling ashamed of an empty threat / I can still change if I want to”

The brainchild of Owen Evans, for years all we had were a few EPs that had a poppier, upbeat feel.

Then in 2016, ROAR finally dropped its first full-length album, Impossible Animals.

ROAR’s first album showed Owen’s maturity as a songwriter. While slower at times than his earlier work, it is a fully baked album that is rewarded by repeat listens. Instead of traditional verse/chorus structure, songs seamlessly evolve, following a thought/melody to its logical three-minute conclusion.

Now, two years later, ROAR just released its second full-length album, Pathétique Aesthétique.

This new album shows the band’s evolution. Songs like Easy and Pavane for a Dead Prince continue the slow moving melodic progression found in Impossible Animals. While songs like Wondering Why and Robocop Sunset bring back some of the upbeat pop of the earlier EPs. And new to the mix are songs like Afraid, which starts with 80s/Stranger Things synths and overlays distorted vocals. Definitely worth a listen.

In addition to the standard Bandcamp page, you can also pre-order the vinyl at Hello Merch. (And if you buy the bundle, $5 goes to the Florence Project.) Give a listen, and perhaps on the band’s next tour, they will hit Boston.