Manchester’s five-piece returned on Friday with their new single, ‘Is It Any Wonder?’. Backed by the two B-sides ‘Leaving For Chicago’ and ‘For Tonight’, it's their first new material since last November’s ‘The Last Curse’.
*Image & artwork courtesy of the band.
Last time out, they moved from the devilment and Nick McCabe atmospheric work on their Somewhere In-Between EP to a straight-line indie-rock. It was a fine counterpoint to their broodier moments. On ‘Is It Any Wonder?’, they’ve stripped everything away to allow their melody to do the talking.
Their time on tour with Starsailor appears to have paid dividends. The acoustic guitars bring the 00s starlets to the fore whilst the delicacy of the piano brings Thirteen Senses purity into play. Above all, they’ve given their melodies space to breathe. In an age where technology demands instant hooks, it’s not just refreshing; it's creatively brave!
‘Is It Any Wonder?’ is backed by the b-sides ‘Leaving For Chicago’ and ‘For Tonight’. The former is a forlorn yet positive moonlit melody which embodies everything great about Noel Gallagher’s songwriting. ‘For Tonight’, completely stripped back, caresses the lo-fi magic of Alfie and the melodic purity of Cherry Ghost, and, with that, Rosellas have proven to the world they can do it all.