Track of the Moment: End of the Earth (Part II) by Wild Rompit

Surprisingly, Wild Rompit isn’t a Dr. Seuss character, but rather a Philadelphia-based folk-rock band. They’re still at Drexel University, but don’t think of them as too young to be good. A few other bands that have gotten mentioned on this blog still attend the university, which has one of the best music industry programs in the country. And these guys are only more proof of that.

They don’t have too much of a catalog; they met and formed in 2010, but have a strong, cohesive sound that makes them sound like they are much older and have been playing together for years. They have a bit of a throwback sound, recalling the rock of yesteryear. Blair Ollendorf’s raspy voice has a bit of a Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen or even a very, very young Tom Waits quality to it, which gives a lot of emotional pain to the lyrics. The bass is heavily present in almost every song, and has nice groove to it, and really helps create a nice foundation for the rest of the music. The drumming is fantastic; it’s always fitting, and helps bring in more of that Springsteen-iness of the music. It never tries to take the spotlight, but waits for the spotlight to come to it. The rhythm guitar features a great twang to it, borrowing a lot from folk music. The electric guitar helps drive the rock vibes home though, with its alternation of wailing, yet soothing tones and fun riffs between songs. And they work all of these individual parts seamlessly together, as though each aspect was meant for the other.

Their exact sound is somewhat hard to describe. I get flavors of Fleet Foxes, The Strokes, even a touch of some southern rock and 70's rock. But listen to their latest single, “Ends of the Earth (Part II)”, and maybe that might help clarify what I mean. It features a fun, high-pitched guitar riff and a driving beat that features a lot of dramatic cymbal crashes. Their 3-part harmony is a tad shaky (“Secrets” has a better one though), but it's fun and interesting, and really helps drive home the mood of the song. While their Stampede EP is free and a solid record, the Brotherhood EP is much more polished, and has a much nicer and more consistent sound. They're both on Bandcamp, so you can try before you buy. Like them on Facebook, and keep on rocking out with them.