New Media to Shred: Rose Hill Drive's 'Moon is the New Earth'

Rose Hill Drive
Moon is the New Earth
(Megaforce Records)

... In which one of Boulder's best-known bands moves further out of orbit, ever closer to Mars, finding reasonable rent on the lit side of the Moon. The new release finds the power-trio breaking out with a bigger, thicker, perhaps even dirtier guitar-based sound. The first track, "Sneak Out," reminds me of Fleetwood Mac's classic bust out rocker, "Oh Well," but since nobody asked why I thought of that, tis better to say "A Better Way" is a better indicator of what has been achieved in Boulder's Coupe Studios: post-Pearl Jam space romps, with glassy low-register vocals, high-flyin' riffs. Muddy in all of the right places and guitar solos tending toward short sprints, rather than long hikes, this is a much bigger sound than what I remember from a Telluride gig for the band a couple of years ago. Lots of smart dissonance here, too. "The 8th Wonder," with its heavy distortion and bits of arabesque, then a lunar launch. A nice arching finale at song 12, "Always Waiting" makes for a document round and whole. Yeah, it all works. Best tracks for a single, or radio, or satellite, or wherever music gets popularized these days: the more acoustic, catchy "One Night Stand; or, "Do You Wanna Get High?", because yeah, after listening to this, I do.
-- Douglas McDaniel