London-resident rockers DORP have an international line-up and an international outlook; “Rollercoaster” is the lead single from their forthcoming album Humans Being, and a timely reminder that [pop attitude] plus [rock guitars] doesn’t necessarily have to equal [Sum 41 clones].
“Rollercoaster” itself is a brisk slice of daytime radio indie-rock with a side-serving of synthesizers, and you can’t fault its pop credentials. You’ve got your sing-along chorus with its cheery progression balanced against the moody alt-rock chords and chittering electronics of the verses; you’ve got your slightly ambiguous lyrics about the craziness of life and the unavoidable … well, the rollercoaster-ness of things, I guess. DORP’s frontman has a quirky voice which serves the material well, lending it a cosmopolitan air and bringing the chorus to life – you can picture him grinning his way through the lines.
DORP’s B-side offering “Extreme” has a more grimy guitar line and dark atmosphere, but the descending hook of the chorus is still pure radio pop, bright and sharp – you may not remember the lyrics first time through, but you’ll be humming the melody while you do the housework later on. “Extreme” sees DORP showing their political side with its anti-consumerism lyrics, the first line being:
“the arsehole in a blue suit / who knows the price of your obsession”
DORP carry on cataloguing the flaws of our shallow brand-name culture, while still retaining the sort of rock vibe that doesn’t make the Radio 2 demographic reach for the tuning dial. Is this what they mean when they talk about fighting the system from within?
DORP aren’t going to change the world, sadly. Nor are they going to change the face of music itself; the two tracks on “Rollercoaster” don’t exactly tear the rock rulebook to shreds and stamp on the pieces. Perhaps they might do something to change the face of radio playlists, though – writing decent pop songs that are actually about something other than sex or fashion is a dying art, but DORP promise to breathe a bit of life back into it if given the chance.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: alternative, DORP, pop, rock
