‘ Wasteland ’
Life ’ s a pretty funny place when you ’ re living in this Wasteland Time stretching like a waistband It kinda leaves a funny taste in your mouth When you think about how long this will take man
I was sitting on the sidewalk drinking til my mind stops sinking down
I can ’ t stop thinking bout how I could be missing out I should be messing around I wanna be sleeping but the city ’ s too loud
Sometimes I wonder where my brain ’ s gone Maybe I left it at the till ? I ’ m always thinking up the same songs
I ’ m just this little tiny spec out in space with a taste for attention No motivation at all It kinda seems like reality tv I ’ m from the valley where the people always fake it Anticipation , sometimes I wonder if we ’ ll make it out our basement And if we don ’ t I don ’ t know how
I ’ m gonna face it
I ’ d rather be a deadbeat knowing that I had a dream and fucking chased it
Sometimes I wonder where my brain ’ s gone Maybe I left it at the till ? I ’ m always thinking up the same songs
We ’ re only here for a short time so where should I go
Tears on the shoreline sink through the stones
I ’ m trying to live for my days like a riff on the stage
Like a spliff on the way home from a shift in a cage
Sometimes the rain makes my day just a little bit better
Sometimes the pain really is the beauty in a fall
Sometimes the rain makes my day just a little bit better
In the next track , the drummer and the singer unexpectedly swap positions with the other . If their first track was an ode to 21st century existential paranoia , the second track “ Cosmos ” is the antidote . In parallel the drumbeat comes in played by Helena now , a reassuring safety net of a song rescues you from the pain and angst of the previous track .
Wandering backing vocals hinting of Bowie , prop up a downtempo lullaby sung softly by Devin . Reminiscent of the relaxed rhythm of Red Hot Chilli Peppers track ‘ Under the Bridge ,’ the sparse guitars and low key vocals float untethered like an astronaut abandoned in space . It ’ s an expansive song with some melancholy mixed in . The lyrics are inspired by the February 2021 launch of a NASA robot landing on Marz .
Their music is an exploration of styles that they nail in each song they write . As Devin points out their music is evolving all the time : “ Our art starts off weird and badly shaped , like you ’ re carving things out of the snow . We form it into what it is , the final sound . “ Room Service started with 4 musicians and now they are at 6 but they have the sound of 10 people . When asked if they want any more instruments Helen answers : “ We can ’ t add another member otherwise we ’ d need a bus every time we travel ! We hear someone great and we ’ re like oh you should join the band , but we ’ d love some brass !”
Room Service had a hard time choosing a band name as anyone would , putting together a band on a whim . ‘ Crash Bang Wallop ’ was in the running . Wet Paint could have been a contender . One day the band passed a shop in Kemp Town called Room Service and that fit them to a T .
The final course for the evening is an avalanche of a song , titled JCVD . It ’ s rough and tumbling tempo hammering in your ears by lead guitar and a heavily prominent bass in a call and response-like sequence . The song could be the perfect action soundtrack to an episode of Starsky and Hutch . Whilst they ’ re behind the wheel of a stolen car being chased by the cops . You ’ re forgiven if you don ’ t know what JCVD stands for , it ’ s an acronym for the action movie actor , the late Jean-Claude Van Damme , ( Arnold Swarzenegger ’ s Danish look-a-like .) The song is in memory of his iconic films of the 90 ’ s including ‘ Timecop ’ and ‘ Knowhere to Run .’ Devin ’ s glasses fall off with the level of insane energy he is exuding . Even without his commentary and jokes between songs ; his showman persona is next level .
Each individual track shows off their talent for writing great songs , and their ability to borrow from different styles , the creativity with lyrics and the bands showmanship which keeps the audience on their toes . Room Service plays with gutsy abandon that is heaps of fun will be sure to shake you out of a post pandemic headache . Listen out for their next single release .
• Lyrics provided by band .
Photo Credit : Lydia Coggins