Innocent Rosie Bad Habit Romance
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
It’s almost cliche at this point, but you have to wonder if there’s any style of rock music the Swedish haven’t perfected. They mastered melodic rock in the ’80s, redefined death metal in the ’90s, and in recent years have been the frontrunners of the hair/glam/party rock revival. Bands like Crashdiet, Hell n’ Diesel, Babylon Bombs, and now Innocent Rosie are all doing their part to recreate the sound and energy of the mid 1980’s Sunset Strip scene.
Innocent Rosie has a whiskey-soaked, down and dirty, party rocking sound that recalls L.A. Guns and Live Like a Suicide-era Guns n’ Roses, which is never a bad thing. Bad Habit Romance is the band’s debut album. 20 years ago you would have called this hair metal. Now…rock revival maybe? Labels aside, what Innocent Rosie is serving up is essentially real, raw, pretension-free rock & roll. It’s upbeat, rocking, melodic (they are Swedish, after all) and just sleazy enough to keep you grinning from start to finish. Listen to the infectious single “Knock Me Out”, the sleazy “Sextalkin’” or the snarling closer “Left Alone” and it’s like being transported back 20 years, but with enough raw energy and spirit to appeal to fans of any age.
If you still play Motley Crue and L.A. Guns albums on a regular basis, this one’s definitely a winner. It’s like a breath of fresh air to see bands like Innocent Rosie hitting the scene in total defiance of the alternative and hipper than thou indie rock mentality, reminding us that rock & roll wasn’t created to depress the hell out of everyone. If you miss this kind of fun party rock, you need to check out Bad Habit Romance.
Lineup:
Oscar Kaleva: Vocals
Joel Eliasson: Guitar
Benjamin Borang: Drums
Olof Oljelund: Bass
Track Listing:
Bitter Cocktail
Knock Me Out
Animal
Let a Memory Die
Bad Habit Romance
Sextalkin’
I’m a Vibe
Wasteland
Shine, Shine, Shine
Don’t Drag Me Down
I’ll Get Rich
Left Alone
Online: On MySpace
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10