Alpha Six Romeo - Flint Loves Silver

Alpha Six Romeo

Flint Loves Silver
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Dom Eagle
​

Alpha Six Romeo is a fresh-off-the-block indie new wave outfit hailing from San Francisco, California. This group of young talent comprises of Dennis Bestafka (vocals/guitars), Tarabud (keyboards), Glory (bass) and Brandon Laws (drums/percussions). Bestafka and Laws were long-time friends who later discovered Tarabud and Glory (both singers themselves) and recruited the pair to their dream band.

Their debut effort Flint Loves Silver opens with the electro-rock madness of “Heaven Knows” - indie pop pumped full of U2-esque arena appeal. But making comparisons seems unfair, as Alpha Six Romeo break the mold which shapes other heavily-influenced artists and they manage to steer clear of “tribute act” status. Their sound takes the dreary, sentimental and emotive aspects of shoegaze and infuses it with a throbbing, pop-styled drum beat to punctuate the track’s glistening melody. They successfully merge the obscurity of alternative music with the accessibility of popular music.

This style extends and blends smoothly into the following track: “Want It Back.” Blunter synth and crunchy guitar riffs begin to permeate the dreamy atmosphere at this stage of the album and this gradual build of sound is a trend continued as the 8-track piece progresses. The maturity present in this quartet’s approach to their debut effort is impressive and commendable, to say the least.

Around the halfway mark, on tracks “Sovereign Eyes” and “Heart Over Fail,” the band embarks on a stylistic shift in direction. Crunchy, partially-muted guitar notes support Bestafka’s swooping and swirling vocals, which elongate notes into an ethereal state of oblivion. Indie pop rules during this phase of the album and it plays on all of Alpha Six Romeo’s strengths; sweet, pop-esque vocals and smoothly-droning guitars which effortlessly sweep the song’s infectious melody from place to place.

​All in all, this is a powerful initial effort from the four-piece. I would advise that you give Flint Loves Silver a listen on their Bandcamp page and keep your eyes peeled for their future releases.

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