High Romantics - Figure it Out

High Romantics

Figure it Out
self-released; 2020

3.7 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Jared Hauser (guitar/keys/vocals), Nelson Tift (guitar/vocals), Tom Moskal (bass) and Jon Gilmore Jr. (drums) are High Romantics. The three-piece band released a three-song EP entitled Figure it Out. 

The band has a palatable indie rock type of quality. They prefer lush aesthetics over rocking out for the most part and it felt aligned with bands like Vampire Weekend and The Shins. The band gets going with “Figure it Out” and it is definitely the most rocking of the three. In fact the similarities to “Jessie's Girl” by Rick Springfield on one of the main riffs made me want to rock. That being said there is more to the song as it unfolds. There are noble vocal harmonies and solid lead guitar solos. The song is light, catchy, fun and feels breezy to me. 

Up next is the very chill, relaxed and catchy “Before the Dawn.” The guitars are warm and covered in reverb while the rhythm section provides just enough kinetic energy so the song doesn't float away. As the song progressed I wasn’t expecting the ending to rock out so hard but it did. Nice. The closer “California” contains more dream-like qualities and pours on the lush like qualities. Similar to the other songs this one is catchy with melodies that feel immediately palpable.

These songs have broad appeal in my opinion. The melodies were easy to appreciate on first listen and I felt the songs were repeat worthy. My only critique would be for the band to think of ways that could throw an occasional wrench into the equation. I really enjoyed listening but there wasn’t much unpredictability about where the song was headed.

​I would say this is a really strong EP and great introduction to the band that I think a lot of people will enjoy. Take a listen.

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