2019 was the last time that I reviewed Static In Verona, covering The Loud Nothing. You can read that review here. Since then there has been an album a year and so it seems time to revisit Chicago's Rob Merz and I'm happy to report that he has lost none of his way with a tune.
Power Poppers will love Patterns (Speak With Me ) and Mayhem. The former is wonderfully Angular New Wave, whilst the latter is more straight ahead with a big Drum sound, not a million miles away from Doves. But then there is Dying To Try, same genre, but far more urgent and very much comparable with the better part of the 80s.
However, Maybe Mayhem gets even more interesting when it heads in different directions. Don't Worry Darling is synth led and moody, almost torch song like. Only Shadows sounds more like Scouse Pop from the second Merseybeat era.
Etcetera Ra Ra is great 80s Pop with a killer chorus and Watch Me Explode ventures successfully into Modern Pop with something that might even make even an old hack look at the current charts. The closing Causing Crashes is incredibly atmospheric, near haunting and certainly gripping.
There's less Guitar here than you might expect and that is what makes the album so engaging. You realise that the songs are memorable and don't necessarily need a middle eight. The choruses are really hooky without having to beat you over the head.
There is a laidback feel at time that eases you and it doesn't need crashing riffs to leave you enjoying the album thoroughly. The Static In Verona back catalogue is also at Name Your Price and it certainly is worth discovering more.
You can listen to and buy the album here. The album is available in full at Name Your Price as a Pre-Release until November 18 when it goes on all the streaming sites.
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