Album Review: Lifetime

The RVMES (pronounced “rooms”) are back with a ten-track release entitled Lifetime, following from their 9-track self-titled EP in 2019, plus numerous singles. Here we have a band who are determined not to sit within any particular genre, and while much of what they perform could fall under the banners of indie, alternative, pop and/or psychedelic, they bring much more than that into the mix. They commence with the title cut, a staccato slice of psych pop which also brings in classic Split Enz, and one can really imagine the Finn brothers having fun with this. Then they go into What You’re Thinking, which is Seventies soul with some disco influences which also hits alt rock, and I was starting to get quite confused as to what they were trying to achieve. A few more numbers in and I finally got my head around it all, in that what they are trying to do is exactly what they want which means the album is a mix of many different styles and genres as they refuse to conform. I jumped over to Bandcamp to see if they had given the album some tags, and I was able to see they describe it as “alternative, alternative indie rock, indie alternative rock, indie pop rock, soul, blues, gypsy jazz, psychedelic and rock ‘n’ roll” (“Auckland” is not a musical genre, wonder what that would sound like?). From this we can discern they are three times alternative and thrice indie, but nowhere do they reference just how annoyingly catchy they are on songs like Self Control, which has really twee tongue in cheek lyrics, yet one cannot help but joining in on the “oohs” on the chorus.

The first time I played the album I was fairly sure I was not a fan, on the second it was starting to warm on me, and by the third time through I knew that this was actually a load of fun. This is not music to be taken overtly seriously but is about creating a good time vibe and making the listener smile even if they are not really sure they want to. Singer/guitarist Edwin Judd grounds every song, while musically the band goes off on different tangents, with his vocals sometimes the only item which keeps the album feeling as such. These guys do not take themselves at all seriously, they create the party vibe and want everyone to get down with what they are doing and enjoying themselves, and isn’t that really what music is supposed to be about? Album closer Big Bam Boom has silly hooks, a daft chorus, but it is all wrapped in a solid psychedelic poptastic bow so again the listener just wants to join in.

This is a fun album, and I hope this is a strong indication of how they sound in concert as I am really looking forward to catching them in a few weeks’ time when they are playing with BOTB winners Big Tasty, Cafe Fistfight and The Minnehahas. That should be some night, and after a few plays I have to admit this is some album.