Rock Monsters Romania

L.E.: So I was watching this livestream from Bucharest Central Memes a few nights ago. I had just come back home with my friends from a soccer game, we ordered some food and waited for it while I checked out whatever these guys on my phone screen were saying about the infamous “local scene”. There was some divine timing there. This text was still in the works, and the special guests of the stream were the same culprits of my review. Compared to most of my Rock Monsters folks, who are each, to some degree, well acquainted with the scene, I’m… still figuring out who’s who. After taking literal notes on the side, my intercom rang, my food arrived, and my mind was made: I gotta finish it.

So here it is…

Once again, I was back in Control Club with a few of my friends. PLANT, a band I’d had my eyes on for a while now, was launching their second album, “Evenimentul Major,” with special guests Orange Peel Her and Coridor, Apt.. 

Orange peel her was a lovely opener choice. We’re talking about a fresh experimental rock project that promises to represent their generation of young underground noisy rebels. Their delivery is still figuring out its limitations. But I sure wish to hear these guys again soon. And I feel like they might grow on me in the future. But one thing I know is these punk kids don’t need to impress anyone. They don’t wish to follow rules. They just need to be themselves. Selves that never have too much distortion. Or too many women on bass. (And while singing)

I’m trying so hard to sound as un-clicheic as possible, but since their project is still waddling in its baby steps, watching them perform live sure does feel like a barely-ripe fruit is being peeled before your ears. A young citrus nevertheless: zesty in its flavour, spitting acid on your tongue. A few hours before the show, I listened to their debut record (A)LIGHT, and the studio sounds didn’t strike me as much as the live performance did. Which, for a band in its early stages, is a good sign, I believe. 

By the time Coridor, Apt. started playing, I blinked twice and felt old for a second. Their set was a rom-com date with the socially awkward nerd. Listening to this “mid-Bucharest” emo band feels like rushing back home on a Tuesday evening, so that the ice cream you just bought doesn’t melt away, and feeling the keys dangling in your pocket with the spare change. Notice how I said “dangling in your pocket”, and not “hanging from your neck”. That’s because the band, as well as the audience (and yours truly, partially) belongs to a slightly younger generation, despite the admirable efforts to fully embody the elder emo spirit of the millennials that came before us, or the gen X that came before them. But you know how it is. The world will never agree upon the topic of who’s the better midwest emo of them all, or, God forbid, the first. 

I digress. You know what I loved here? There’s a softness, a nuance of fresh indie blood that helps differentiate between the inspiration and the end result. Their debut EP, “Interior.”, borrows an ancient key and opens a new door. I might be biased, but I think they could be even sadder. 

And there they were. Listening to PLANT’s new album live felt like peeking into a young bachelor’s diary. Like unintentionally flipping through pages of scattered thoughts about everything and nothing whatsoever. Relatable and personal, political, but nevertheless fun. I was struck by the beautiful simplicity in the writing process, however simplicity and depth were not mutually exclusive here. Every other song was either about existential dread, social justice or other adjacent philosophies, but I couldn’t contemplate too hard, since everything was packaged with fun and punchy riffs that just made me wanna grab another beer. I definitely left with a few earworms here and there, but didn’t forget to google the lyrics a few days later. Kind of like stitching back the pieces of a night out in the morning after, hungover and a bit dizzy. 

I’m by no means a good post punk advocate, since this genre only recently started poking under my skin. But I think this band is palatable for a rather large spectrum of crowds. It might widen up your musical interests, even if you’re just looking to have fun or wish to dissect every single beat. Their sound allows you to not care one bit, but it would be a shame if you didn’t. You don’t need to overthink PLANT’s music. However, I suggest you do.

I would like to dedicate a few words to the visual aspects of this show. Beginning with how much I loved the album cover art and the event poster, made by Lucian Barbu. I now regret not having bought a poster for myself. 

Intentional or not, it was a great and inspirational idea to implement a retro-tech, etchy and nerdy aesthetic into the visual concepts of both the album promo pieces and the on-stage live projections, especially in times like these, when the creative field is contaminated with generative slops and mindless algorithms. And yes, I gotta admit, it’s been well established in my head that most of these guys probably work in tech fields, based on their outfits alone. I felt like mentioning it.

Anyway, I rushed to the subway, holding a t-shirt I just got from the merch stand in my cold hands, eager to catch the last train. It was only after I left this show that I remembered it was the 24th. One of our national holidays. Funny how it was a major event regardless. Ba dum tss, I guess. 

Review by Raluca Baciu