Rocky – Wonder Villains

We know we’re young and we don’t know, but we’ll still have fun and make our show.

Wonder Villains

As the summer releases keep on coming we were lucky enough to be given a copy of ‘Rocky’ the debut album by the Wonder Villains. If you’ve seen this Northern Irish band playing live then you’ll know just how energetic they are and more importantly how much fun they put into the local live music scene. At first we were wondering how this energy and enthusiasm could be captured in the studio, but those concerns were swiftly dispatched into the ether about 30 seconds into the album.

Great production really lifts and captures the energy and essence of the band and their local brand of bubblegum pop. Bright and brash just like their stage attire this is a pop album that’s in your face in pure unadulterated HD. Highlights are the road tested favourites ‘TV’, ‘Oh Peter’, ’33’ and ‘Zola’. The latter being a tribute to footballer Gianfranco Zola who went on to star in the video promoting the single release.

There’s funk too. ‘Debbie’ has a rap feel to it with some funky bass lines thrown in. ‘Blonde’ is one of the slower songs on the album and has one of the catchiest choruses of the whole collection. Hailing from Derry this young quartet have built up a well deserved reputation as one of the tightest live bands on the scene and this album helps to further cement their credentials as musicians and performers. This is classic teenage pop re-invented for the 21st Century.