ALBUM REVIEW: Roden House Blues – The Hip Priests

Described as giving “Zero fucks n’ less success since 2006”, rock ‘n’ rollers THE HIP PRIESTS certainly don’t seem to have a filter. Releasing their new album, Roden House Blues, the band decided after 16 years of making music that they weren’t finished yet. This amalgamation of energy was recorded in Nottingham at Roden House (inspiring the album name) in between the numerous COVID lockdowns in the UK. Listening to the songs, you can almost hear the frustration that these times caused.

Starting off with the opener Trojan Horseshit, a cool electronic static intro quickly runs into a fast-paced verse with pounding vocals and intense rhythms. There’s nothing slow about this track, it gets straight into the action and is not messing around. Overall it has a punk feel to it with its almost erratic nature, and it keeps this fast paced concoction up until the very end of the song. Next up, Inaction Rocks begins with a cool guitar riff intro which oozes classic rock vibes. This is quickly followed by some more hard hitting rhythms and the gritty vocals of Nathan Von Cruz. One -thing to mention however is that you may need to listen to the tracks a couple of times to decipher what the lyrics are. Both songs so far have had this very jumpy energy, which is sure to follow throughout the album.

Recent single Pissed On Power (P.O.P.) barely tops one minute and 20 seconds in length. The music video features an array of clips of the band getting up to antics on tour, it’s fast paced and manic – kind of like their music. This is a great representation of what you should expect from THE HIP PRIESTS live and their music generally, and to be able to get this across in less than two minutes is quite the achievement.

At the record’s mid-point, Chasing Death gets off to an intense start, with some raging riffs and agitated vocals making waves. The chorus itself is pretty catchy and definitely one you’ll want to shout along to (although this whole album could be screamed at the top of your lungs realistically). The general vibe is a mix between rock ‘n’ roll and punk, drawing on modern topics lyrically. There is a similar feel to a lot of the songs so far, but with this sort of style this can sometimes be the case.

Bringing a bit more variation to the album is ninth track Persistance Is Futile. It opens up with a groovy riff, and from there we’re given a slightly slower song. There’s a bit more emphasis on the guitars, as well as a stronger rock influence throughout. A break from the manic nature of the rest of the tracks is quite refreshing. Capping off the album is closer The Best Revenge. Sampling some audio that sounds like it has come from a speech, the track already begins to have a revolutionary sort of vibe. This is another classic rock ‘n’ roll song, focusing on rolling rhythms and groovy riffs to bring the record to a fitting close.

Overall, Roden House Blues is an album full of relatable topics, backed up by some classic sounds that bring an energetic atmosphere. There’s a lot to love if you’re into music that gets right up in your face but also acts as a stress release from all the shouting along.

Rating: 7/10

Roden House Blues is set for release on May 5th via The Sign Records.

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