After gaining a loyal fan-base while touring with Weezer and The Strokes, the power pop quintet Rooney are making a major splash with the release of their self-titled debut. The first single “Blueside” is receiving heavy airplay and the video is getting a regular spin on MTV who has dubbed the band ‘buzzworthy’. Not bad for five kids from LA.
Like nerd rockers Weezer, Rooney play a form of punk pop which is aggressive yet has a jubilant vibe. The group has fondness for classic pop songs from the 1960’s and the California Beach Boys and British Beatle influences ring through loud and clear. Rooney construct sweet and simple tunes which give them a sunny disposition. Lyrically, it is all about love, love and more love and the jovial rhythms which Rooney assemble, can turn the saddest of lyrics into a jolly summertime romp.
Produced by Keith Forsey (Simple Minds, Psychedelic Furs) and Brian Reeves (Billy Idol, Pet Shop Boys), accentuate on layered harmonies and the bright chorus’s reinforce the eloquent production with a retro-pop sensibility. The record is straight-forward and unpolluted good-time music as Rooney’s Rooney carries a positive message of “All You Need Is Love”, man.