GURU - 'Roses'
The boys from Brighton are back with indie rock banger, ‘Roses’.
GURU are really starting to get onto people’s radar now. And deservedly so. Starting with their debut single ‘Consumer Helpline’ back in 2018, GURU established their own take on driving punk energy and hard rock instrumentation. Now they are back with their latest single ‘Roses’, about the “uphill struggle of trying to get anything done when you’re at the bottom of the pecking order”.
Singer Tommy Cherrill uses the rose as a symbol for this as “the gifting of a rose […] can be seen as both a gesture of gratitude, and of buttering someone up.” What is great about GURU is they can tackle social situations that a lot of people face without getting too political about it, which a lot of bands fall into the trap of. At the end of the day, you want a good guitar song to lose your shit to.
And ‘Roses’ does just that. The bass and drum intro builds up an exciting tension whilst the guitars provide a simple syncopated stab. The thrills increase in the verse as it builds up to a big chorus that, especially live, presents a chaotic danger that forces you to bang your head and get stuck in the pit. If you like Heavy Lungs, particularly songs such as ‘(Bit of a) Birthday’, you can’t go wrong with 'Roses'.
GURU are still a new band and are gradually establishing their sound. Hopefully we will see an EP (or an album? nudge nudge) next year.
Words of Matthew Brocklehurst