The Roop - 'Just Think About It'
The Eurovision favourites explore the murky question of what it means to be human on their sleek new single.
It’s been a busy few years for Lithuanian pop group The Roop. Having formed in 2014 and released three studio albums since, the trio - consisting of lead vocalist Vaidotas Valiukevičius, percussionist Robertas Baranauskas, and guitarist Mantas Banišauskas - broke through on the international stage when their song ‘On Fire’ came first place in one of 2020’s alternate Eurovision competitions, organised to replace the main event as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They built on this success by entering its follow up ‘Discoteque’ into 2021’s main contest, which was held in person as usual. The song earned the band an 8th place finish in the grand final, presenting their stylish brand of synth-pop to a global audience. The Roop’s rapid, international rise was further cemented last year when British superstar Ed Sheeran invited them to open his two huge shows at the Darius and Girėnas stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Amongst this ever-mounting momentum, the band released May’s aptly named new album, entitled... ‘Momentum’. Clearly, the trio are confident they can take their global profile to new heights, and with good reason. Lead single ‘Steal Me’ is a smooth, catchy gem, while second single ‘Chica Chico’ heads in a different, no less captivating direction, all Spanish rhythms and communal euphoria. With latest single, ‘Just Think About It’, however, The Roop return to a darker palate, both musically, lyrically, and visually. Brooding, hypnotic, and backed by a pulsating beat, the song creeps up on you like a human-presenting android, before unveiling a propulsive, metallic chorus which takes the slick dance-pop the band are known for, and pushes it in a subversively unsettling direction.
This sentiment is equally applicable to the single’s lyrics, which raise big questions about the nature of humanity itself, particularly in the digital age in which we find ourselves. “Why do we need human touch? Why do we forget our dreams when we wake up in the morning? How can we remain human in this digitalised world”, the band ponder via press release. “Just think about it”, Valiukevicius sings, with a melody reminiscent of Phil Collins' iconic use of the phrase in his 1989 hit ‘Another Day in Paradise’.
Collins isn’t the only pop-cultural force of the past which The Roop draw from: the song’s music video, filmed in nighttime Berlin, sees the band members confront their fake, digitalised selves, attempting to escape their artificial reality in a clear nod to sci-fi classic The Matrix. Clad in leather jackets and dark sunglasses, the trio give Neo a run for his money, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger's titular Terminator, who was also fond of the fashionable pairing.
As a daring creative expansion, ‘Just Think About It’ is a triumph, and arguably the best song The Roop have released to date. Sleek and shiny with something dark lurking beneath, it’s the sort of existential dance-pop which would provide a fitting soundtrack for the rise of the machines.
As for The Roop? They’ll be back.
Words by Ben Left
