I was introduced to ROE’s music for the first time today and was very impressed with what I heard. Hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland she is no stranger to the limelight. At only 18 years old ROE received a coveted slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury in 2017. From there she has amassed over 1 million streams of her 2020 EP ‘Things We Don’t Talk About” and supported Snow Patrol on their 2019/20 UK Arena Tour.

With the release of her latest single ‘I Dare You’ (out today) ROE has chosen to change direction from a Synth/Electro Pop sound to an Indie/Rock/Pop style. You have to respect an artist that can effortlessly switch genres and produce work like they’ve always been there. ROE most definitely manages this with a deftness reserved for truly great artists.

On a first listen ‘I Dare You’ sounds like a feel-good indie pop track however on closer inspection of the lyrics you hear the range of emotions being offered up. In her own words the track covers “every unpredictable emotion that stems from adrenaline and exhaustion on the road and the parts of musicians lives that nobody ever gets to see”. As a touring musician myself I absolutely felt every frustration in those words and the emancipating cry of the chorus “I dare you to shout out loud get up and just scream like mad”. I tend to find comparing artists to other artists a little clichéd and so I’ll simply try to tell you what influences I can hear here. Musically, particularly in the opening guitar throngs, I could hear shades of The Strokes and as the track exploded in to life elements of Bruce Springsteen and Arcade Fire throughout. The music is dynamic and offers range to keep the listener interested.

ROE has a brilliant indie voice that works well with the track and adds vibrancy when required but knows when to hold back and let the music do the work. In the vocal I can hear influences of Blondie, Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams, in the later Paramore tracks, not that ROE sounds like them rather she brilliantly fuses those artists (and many more I’m sure) to create her own style. The uplifting backing vocals of the chorus add a beautiful crescendo to this infectious indie track. A driving rhythm throughout will have you wanting to dance, while the lyrics will have you emoting like an exhausted, touring musician. Left wanting more thanks to an exciting and abrupt close ‘I Dare You’ is a great track. ROE was already one to watch in the past few years but if she isn’t yet on your radar she absolutely needs to be this year.

I Dare You is available to Stream now across all major platforms now and ROE can be found online at www.roeofficial.com where you can find links to all of her socials.