It’s business as usual for the Bosco Rogers boys. Not happy to sit on the lauded success of the Googoo EP, the band have swiftly followed with the expansive French Kiss EP. It’s much the same, with variations on a winning formula, but hey! Only The Beatles ever stepped away from a winning formula.
Title track ‘French Kiss’ plays like a theme from a soviet/noir spy thriller, driven with reverb and bouncing keyboard motifs before reaching poppy heights with typical characteristic abandon. It’s a great track to lead the EP off, in that it’s a step forth from the nonsensical pop fun of ‘Googoo’ but still retains the simplistic adventure of previous.
‘Banana Socks’, while already being critical Teflon for its name alone, is a stomping slice of garage rock. Part of the magic of Bosco Rogers is in the fact that this is a band who abjectly defies being put in neat boxes or categories; thus making this reviewers job just a wee bit harder. Trust me on this though, this is gonna be ace on a road trip or at your next hip party!
‘Buttercup’ goes for a ride on the surf rock vibe, it’s a tad nonsensical, but it’s kooky and makes for an ace earworm. It’s knowingly cliched (see the multiple “Yeah yeah yeah”s and “Hey hey hey”s) but it wears it with a cheeky grin and a strong JD and coke.
And onto EP closer ‘Shelter’. Now brace yourselves ladies and gents. This may just be a Bosco Rogers ballad, or the nearest they’ll ever get to one. It’s a nice track, if nothing special. Either way it makes for a laid back, floaty end to yet another top notch EP from the Hastings duo!
