RAWR Vanity - "RAWR Vanity"

Artist: RAWR Vanity
Label: Self-published
Catalogue Number: N/A
Release Date: 7 December 2015
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by: Wacey Coates except "California Dreaming" produced, recorded and mixed by Ric Parker

Personnel:
Wacey Coates: Guitar and Vocals
Jesse Simo-swer: Bass and Vocals
Matt O'Reilly: Guitar and Vocals
Carly Sinn: Drums

Track Listing:

1) Jealous
2) California Dreaming
3) Blue Jean Baby
4) Sleepless
5) Not This Time
6) Brand New
7) What You Live For

Three years since the release of their debut album "Allerton Place", Brisbane quartet RAWR Vanity have experienced a couple of significant changes in their musical career. Now adopting the DIY approach to production and distribution of their material, they have also dropped the synths and programming which played a major part in their previous album to becoming a harder rocking band with just guitars, bass and drums as well as Wacey and Jesse swapping instrumental roles for both recording and live work.

The album loses none of the sheen of its predecessor and opens up with a mosh pit anthem-to-be "Jealous" that has an infectious bass and guitar line and soaring harmonies in the verses leading up to the rousing chorus. The sprightly "California Dreaming" is their envisioning their recent successful American tour, and has nods to the Go-Betweens 1988 hit "Was There Anything I Could Do?"

"Blue Jean Baby" starts out as a gentle guitar ballad and builds up to an anthemic lighter-waving rocker which deserves airplay on Triple M and Triple J, "Sleepless" showcases a great interweaving of vocals between Jesse, Matt and Wacey in the verses and some fine guitar solos. "Brand New" is a fast paced rocker in a similar vein to The Ramones and The Buzzcocks with some good bass breaks in it, and a lyric line about entering a new relationship where the other party has to pull their weight in doing their fair share in making it work. The closing cut "What You Live For" contains a dreamy slide guitar intro and similar feel to The Cranberries "Dreams" with Wacey and Jesse sharing vocal duties.

This album is great radio-friendly rock that is well produced and not too gratuitous or over-angsty in its delivery.

5/5