Rockets On Wire

I Am Not Your Home

Written by: TL on 30/03/2013 13:43:04

Rockets On Wire, a band I'm sure is new to most of you, are a female-fronted Long Island (NY) quintet who list "Jawbreaker, Brand New, Fugazi, Pixies" among their influences, who are currently unsigned and whose (I'm guessing debut) album "I Am Not Your Home" has struck me as one of the more interesting cases among releases that have recently been submitted to us as promos. It starts with drawn out intro track "Wake", which does indeed rouse sleepily and slowly, instantly reminding me of Now, Now's recent "Threads". And maybe it's because I was so intrigued by that record, that I'm also instantly paying attention here, as "Fall" brings the tempo up, with singer Marie Mayes repeating "I'm just fine, I'm just fine, I'm just fine" over and over again with just enough calm for you to not quite believe her, and with the hint of discontent mirrored in the instrumental section, which has a hint of buzzing grunge/punkrockness that feels more underground and dangerous than Now, Now does in comparison.

It's the catchiest moment of the record quick off the bat, but it works wonders at summoning your attention and putting you in the mood to try to get into the remaining tracks, which for two or three cuts at least keep exploring the mellowness that still compares to the likes of Now, Now and Death Cab For Cutie, even while the guitars do ring threateningly in the back of the soundscape. With the brief centrepiece "Repast" however, we get the calm before the storm as Mayes calmly mumbles the first lines to a string of lyrics that build to a Nirvana-ish burst of rage and carries over into "Wedding Song", which crashes and thrashes about with full-on Pixies-ish bitterness and frustration, urging the listener to yell along to: "You're a liar and a beast and I told you to leave, 'cause YOU DIDN'T THINK AT ALL! YOU DIDN'T THINK AT ALL! YOU DIDN'T THINK! OF ME! AT ALL!".

The three remaining songs calm things back down a bit, yet the damage has already been done and Rockets On Wire have made enough of an impression to have my full attention, moving forward with the post-rock-ish tremolo of "Pyre" and the extremely Death Cab-ish bass-sound/guitar interplay of "Like Thieves". And as a classy closing touch, the piano chords and "I am fine" refrain which "Rise" uses to sound the record off, echo the exact same melody that opened the album on "Wake", making for a record that compels you to spin it on repeat. So while all in all I concede that I don't think all the songs on "I Am Not Your Home" are honed to full potential, what's most important is that I get the feeling that the shortcomings on here are the kinds that mark a band which, with slightly more nuanced production and slightly more focused songwriting, could have a real gem in the making come their second record.

Download: Fall, Wedding Song, Like Thieves
For The Fans Of: blending Now, Now and Death Cab For Cutie with The Pixies
Listen: facebook.com/rocketsonwire

Release Date 19.10.2012
Wild Baby Records

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