A new album release from The Acute delivers quite the soiree of rock tonalities by blending elements of garage, punk, grunge, indie, and more, and rolling it all up into one big record that delivers this intense and colorful yet edgy energy and soundscape.
The RONGORONGO album delivers a ton of endlessly fun songs and throughout the records on folding, you get a grasp on some of the character that's given off here too.
Tracks like " As Seen On TV", are a perfect example of what you can expect on this record. It's got that thick, fuzz tone grunge element to it and an amazing drive from the drummer who ends up really staying in the pocket but also giving these songs the feeling of being alive and breathing.
This is one of my favorite things about the record actually. The energy across the board is crazy. It almost feels like these guys recorded the whole thing live on the floor and everyone involved was just feeding off of each other the entire time.
I love hearing a record and immediately knowing that the band performing it will be awesome in a live setting.
This is exactly one of those kinds of records.
The blending of vivacious attitude and energy with those fuzz-tone guitars let the record really thrive and become super infectious.
The album is not without its pop overtones as well. Songs like "Centigrade" prove that with an incredibly catchy and bopping rhythm section along with a colorful feel that makes you want to get up and dance.
You still get those wild and almost rambunctious tones and approaches on this track but they're a little bit tamer and you can immediately tell that these guys know how to write a song that's catchy but still has a perfect level of edginess.
Blending those two things together is not easy to do but these guys pull it off without a hitch.
The more you listen to this album the more you realize that a lot of this stuff is influenced by classic and vintage 1970s and early 80s punk rock and classic rock.
Part of their whole aesthetic is bringing that vintage, tube tube-style rock feel to the record and they do it flawlessly.
This album portrays a number of influences that come from different decades, but that old-school punk and rock is really what it pulls from the most. Or at least it seems that way to me.
Certain tracks make me think of bands like Iggy Pop and the Stooges for example. This is a band I'm more than familiar with and love the vibes of and these guys nail that kind of aesthetic throughout this record as well.
This is an album with personality. I said it before, I'll say it again. There is a character running through the entire release and this is part of what you get attached to.
You also get hints of 90s underground alternative rock, and plenty more throughout this thing. It's songs like "Year Old Alarms" which is the closing track of the record that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Yes, I love old-school punk and rock of course but I grew up in the 90s and songs like this make me feel like it was drawn from that era.
This is the kind of album where you don't just listen to one or two tracks. You might get an idea of the record if you do but you will not get the full spectrum of what the album has to offer as a whole. This is important because there's a lot going on here.
This is a record with plenty of layers and different approaches to the genre, all with this unique energy in charisma, vivacious and almost wild undertone that makes things youthful.
This release embodies almost everything that makes rock music, rock music.
Definitely listen to this whole thing from beginning to end and do it loudly.
There are plenty of sing-alongs here, but this is a record you should be listening to at a good volume.
Doing it quietly won't really give you what it wants.
Take a deep dive into this record and before you do, check out the interview we just did with the guys below.
After listening to this thing, we had to have a sit-down with the band to find out where all of it came from and more.
Here's what happened.
Buzz Slayers: Hey guys! Let's start off with the Rongorongo album!
This record boasted a ton of heavy and classic rock vibes with memorable riffs and experimental undertones! Where did this album come from?
Stephen: This batch of songs came together naturally after we recorded Alien Theatre, our first full album; in those sessions, a few of the ideas for these songs started to spring. After Alien Theatre, which was self-recorded in a Brooklyn studio, we had enough experience to continue to work in a self-directed way. We ran into Joe Hogan, who ended up engineering Rongorongo, at a party and we felt as though working with him would do wonders for the recording process.
We did the takes all in a day, and a very old-school, barebones recording approach was the ethos; we then took it home and did vocals, additional tracks, and a bunch of mixing in our home studio. We would find pieces of equipment and integrate them into our setup, so we were able to make the textures we wanted over Joe's robust, focused on the essentials approach. That classic feel comes out of that balance, with the experimental stuff dipping into that.
Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you guys as a band?
Viveca: We first hung out properly in the summer of 2017, although we had discussed Syd Barrett, among other things, in passing. Stephen was practically living in a dingy practice studio in Williamsburg, we started jamming together and with some other people at times, and it just felt like there was something there: a natural connection. We had a lot of similar interests and both value writing as well as engineering. What’s great about guitar and drums is the flexibility of playing around with the structure of songs and exploring new avenues. We also both agree that songwriting can be a form of storytelling sometimes and emphasize the importance of lyrics. We enjoy poetic forms and sometimes leave up the meaning of lyrics to the interpretation of the listener. We played our first show as The Acute in November ‘17 and the rest is history.
Buzz Slayers: I am hearing plenty of styles throughout this release! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Viveca: We’re huge fans of The Fall, Killing Joke, REM, The Breeders, Sly and the Family Stone, Elastica, Nirvana, Helvetia, Hole, Talk Talk, Eno, Tubeway Army, Etienne Daho, Gil Scott Heron, CAN, Air, Velvet Underground, MBV to name a few. We also listened to lots of grunge classics to figure out how they got the awesome sounds they did. We take a lot from 80s dance-rock like Tears for Fears and Talk Talk and we love pushing beyond the limits of typical rock songs. Also, Stephen takes his guitar tuning (CGDGBE, half step up to C#) from the experimentation of 80s-90s NYC rock scene, like Stephen Malkmus and Sonic Youth. The 60s and 70s also inspire us a lot: the Kinks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Beatles, Martha and the Vandellas, Shocking Blue, Gordon Lightfoot, Herman’s Hermits and many more. We love modern rock bands too and play shows with some awesome acts. We’ve also gotten to know many wonderful musicians, artists, and producers, who often show us a band we might have otherwise missed! We have listened to a lot of Kraftwerk at times, the album Tour de France is a favourite! We get a lot out of overhearing random pop songs, like at the store or something. There’s a lot of “listen to that,” sometimes ridiculous songs get stuck in my head, but it’s all good!
Buzz Slayers: This felt like a huge record! Did it take long to complete?
Stephen: You bet! We went through months of developing it, generally finding our desired feel and focusing a lot on the drum tones. The main guitars were recorded really magnificently by Joe, so the record still leans on those live drum/guitar takes. There's a lot of backing tracks and melodies added later, the product of our own approach to recording. It was great, and there were a ton of decisions to be made! In the end, we took a few tracks as singles to Fred Kevorkian, one of the great mastering engineers in Brooklyn, and we had some good chats and learned a lot from him. With every new step, we felt like there was more to do; we really believed in the songs, and kept thinking up new parts--it feels great to see it all come together. You never know what will make the difference. We found a Daft-Punk style vocal harmonizer, too, and added some zany tracks with it, like the wild lead guitar on “Ancillaria!”
Buzz Slayers: Are you guys performing live or touring right now?
Viveca: We perform in NYC rather frequently; our next shows will be at Berlin April 19 and Main Drag on May 3rd. We are planning to tour the East Coast, so far, we’ve played Vermont, NJ and Massachusetts. We also would love to hit the road internationally and hit Canada, South America, Europe and Australia!
Buzz Slayers: Was this album recorded at a home studio or all at a bigger spot?
Stephen: Funny enough, our home studio is about the size of the original recording studio! The studio has 6 feet tall ceilings, and is very intimate!! Small rooms have a real sound to them… That is reflected in the way the album sounds, most definitely–it’s more personal, in a way.
Buzz Slayers: Are you planning on releasing any music videos for this record?
Viveca: Yes, we’ve got videos in the works! It’s a fun project. We’ve always had fun making videos. We’ve directed our own videos, but it’s always fun to work with talented people. The first video to come out will be for “As Seen on TV” or “Rongorongo”
Buzz Slayers: Who is in all your headphones right now?
Viveca: MBV-Lose My Breath
Stephen: Helvetia - Hit The Sauce
We’ve been listening to a lot of Elastica, Silver Jews, Nick Drake, and we keep CAN in heavy rotation.
Buzz Slayers: Now that the album is here. What's next for you as a band?
Stephen: We’ve got plans for another record or EP very soon! We think we can do it quickly, having learned from our experiences, and are scoping out a new studio at the moment. We love producing, but we have also had thoughts of working with one of the many brilliant rock producers working today. In the end, we will likely go for a similar method, where we take things home and iron them out!
We’ve got a ton of tracks that we haven’t released from say, 2019, so we’re figuring out if we’ll use any of them in our next project. There’s a bunch of electronic ideas to throw into the mix at some point as well. We love trying new things.
Buzz Slayers: Do each of you have a favorite track from the record? Which ones?
Viv: For me, it rotates, but I’m really into “Pictures and Paradots,” which has a really cathartic feel. “Year Old Alarms” is a favorite of mine. “Translators,” too. It depends on my mood!
Stephen: “As Seen on TV,” probably!
Buzz Slayers: Before we go, is there anything you'd like to express to fans of the music?
Thanks for reading, we are so grateful to have finally released this record and we hope you enjoy it! And we’ll see you at our upcoming shows! Berlin NYC on April 19 and Main Drag Music on May 3rd, followed by Pianos 5/15.
BANDCAMP
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