Innocent Rosie – Bad Habit Romance

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Another in Sweden’s fine tradition of sleaze rock outfits, Varberg’s Innocent Rosie’s debut album is what several other bands (Hardcore Superstar, Duff McKagan’s Loaded etc.) should have made. They show it’s possible to make catchy, sleazy rock ‘n’ roll songs without sacrificing heaviness and having to have too many sickly harmonies. They’ve got the things you’d expect, like big grooving riffs, solos, and whiskey-soaked vocals, plus some extras like rock piano a-la Quireboys on Sextalkin’ and Don’t Drag Me Down, harmonica on Let A Memory Die and clean guitar on the grooving Shine, Shine, Shine. Heavy rocking opener Bitter Cocktail is an absolute gem of a track; a stand-out on the album with a monstrous riff and big chorus. Left Alone, Knock Me Out and Animal match it for muscle, while some of the rest, like those with the additional instrumentation noted above, add the variety. Bad Habit Romance is a hard, swaggering rock record without the unnecessarily glam image. A focus on the music rather than the look, something their contemporaries could learn from. Not a ballad in sight either. Like a heavier Quireboys or a sleazier Mustasch, this is what you’re looking for if you thought the new Hardcore Superstar was too soft and Mötley Crüe need a worthy successor. Fans of any of the bands mentioned above who’ve released albums in 2009 need to check this record out. It’s better than all of them.

Written by Andy Lye
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