I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…never before has the Irish scene been so accessible, familial, fertile and diverse. While this is definitely an encouraging situation, unfortunately, it is also a double-edged sword, and pretty soon, the question arises as to quality control.
As it goes, for every great album that has arisen from the imperial bedroom (studio), hundreds of less-than-stellar ones have been released from under the mattress.
When bands circumvent the music industry itself, the public are exposed to new, leftfield bands that might otherwise slip underneath the radar. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the deal. Had it gone through the industry mill, one suspects that Romance Is Dead’s debut would still be knocking about in demo format. What bands need to remember is that a sound can take time to develop, as can a band’s identity and style. At the moment, it becomes evident that the band need to do away with those worn out songwriting techniques and concentrate on attacking the art of the song from an entirely different vantage point.
Judging from the under-produced material on ‘Addicted To Emma’, the band’s first release ultimately seems a little premature. As far as first attempts go, it’s a noble one, but alas they haven’t quite got what it takes to make a great record – yet. For Romance Is Dead, the achievement of getting their debut onto the market should now be seen as a good point at which to regroup, reassess, develop and incubate their sound.