I first saw Seretone about a year ago and was straight away struck by their ambient and powerful mix of synths and guitar rock. This is their first full album and I was itching to check it out so here is the verdict on Secret Robot Romance.rnFirst track Coda Cove kicks in with big riffs, smooth sliding synths and a weird vocoder vocal. The mix of jittering and fairly heavy drums, bass and guitars with the electro vocal and synths that roll over the other instruments with ease, to create a real chilled atmosphere to this song as it builds slowly into the later stages are just a taste of what is to come. rnSecond track, Mens Rea is more conventional with the clear and catchy vocal patterns from singer Nick kicking in early on. Once again the guitars and synth mix in a very smooth way yet with some great build-ups and interesting synth noises, Seretone keep their songs catchy yet different from any other band I have heard. This song also has some really great and subtle vocal harmonies. rnWaiting For The Bombs To Fall is a great track, which shows the variety in Seretone’s sound brilliantly. This song has great lyrics as well and the chorus is a sing along classic in the classic pop rock style of Duran Duran yet with that 90’s dance edge that gives them a smoother and more ambient side.rnAs the album progresses their are many more wonderful tracks and Seretone seem to have a great talent at producing catchy rock songs that have depth, atmosphere and energy as well as a very original edge and personal sound. rnThe songs have an air of dance bands such as Massive Attack or even Lemon Jelly in their softer moments, yet when Seretone kick in they have the power of some of the best rock bands of past and present. rnThe mix on this record is very impressive, with the instruments showing some great solo moments and yet when all the instruments merge, they create a rich bed of sound, that builds to great musical heights, making this almost perfect pop rock.rnThis album is full of huge riffs, soaring synths, booming, driving drum and bass loops and real catchy and smooth melodies. It builds and soars, diving between chilled out dance grooves and huge energetic bursts of power and shows a variety of influence and emotion. rnSongs like Arguments, Politics and my personal favourite Much Too Late, are huge epic synth rock songs and at last I see the point in 80’s pop rock music…it is inspiring brilliant music like this! rnIt’s certainly a sign of great things to come from this Nottingham band.
Reviewed by: Gaz
