Rocket Ship debut a confident EP brimming with stunning lyrical imagery.
Worcester natives Rocket Ship debut A Night at the Pool, their sophomore EP that blends pop punk and indie/alt rock with raw narratives about inner fear and struggling relationships. Rocket Ship create stunning lyrical imagery, backed by smooth rhythm grooves and powerful vocals. A Night at the Pool delivers powerful, enthralling riffs to create a confident and catchy record.
Sonically, A Night at the Pool gives off the vibe of an intimate, tight-knit underground gig in 1990s Santa Monica. The record opens with “Alcohol,” which starts with an infectious drum riff that lurks throughout the song. The verses spin a story about a frustrated, lovesick narrator who tries to find happiness with his current relationship, while longing for a past partner: “Say you’ll wait up for me tonight / I can give a call and pretend I’m alright… I try again, again / I wish it were you.” The song’s continuous riff enhances the title and the theme: feeling trapped and using negative means to suppress unhappiness. This theme carries throughout the album’s progression, like in the third track, “Cross My Heart,” a self-aware, fun pop-punk song that chronicles the same longing for a past partner. These clever tracks catch the ear right away, creating head-bobbing anthems for those who never gave up on the one that got away.
“We’re Alright” features an upbeat tempo, rhythmic, rolling drums, and harmonized vocals that create a poppy track that serves as a mask for a darker theme, similarly explored in “Alcohol.” The narrator claims that he’s “alright,” despite the fact that he relies on drinking to make things are better: “I’m gonna stay for one more drink / ‘cause this bottle is the fountain of youth / and I’ve been down on my luck since late / and I feel like I got nothing to lose.”
Following “Cross My Heart” is the slower, drum-heavy title track and highlight of the record. Sonically, “A Night at the Pool” conjures up hazy, nostalgic imagery that chronicles a youthful summertime fling. It’s cinematic, with little hints of detail from the narrator, “let’s take it back / to the night you saw my dresser / I can barely believe you’re in my room.” These tiny snapshots are sprinkled throughout the track, laced together with smooth harmonies and backing female vocals. “A Night at the Pool” is a coming-of-age story that follows the growth, change, and end of a relationship. It begins happily, with the narrator awe-struck that his love interest is even in his room with him; by the middle, they are drifting apart and fighting more often, with the female vocals insisting that she “never wants to see you [the narrator] again.” As the track draws to a close, the narrator comes to the melancholic conclusion that everything must end. It’s the most poignant song on the EP, with striking, cool lyricism to accompany it’s lo-fi, beachy tone.
A Night at the Pool closes with “I Told You You’d Be Back,” a track that gets a bit lost among the others. It’s difficult to differentiate between this and “We’re Alright,” with its upbeat guitar work and pop-punk influences. However, strong vocals and careful drumming at the track’s climax make it stand out, albeit a bit late.
Rocket Ship’s new EP is refreshing and raw. It’s a record that will make you bob your head and appreciate the genuinely cinematic elements of the lovesick stories that unravel in each track. The nostalgia that A Night at the Pool conjures is a poignant reminder of years gone by, when things were a little less complicated.