Press materials by courtesy of Noisolution
ROVAR – Smoke
Album | 15/08/2025
31:10 | 9 tracks | Vinyl/Digital
Alternative Rock
Germany
Return of the Rock Band
Power trio ROVAR are a band who joyfull draw bridges between opposites. Honest emotions pair with sharp-edged arrangements, heavy riffing ties on to smooth passages, complexity dissolves in simplicity, and vice versa. After the release of their selftitled EP (2020 | Bug Valley Records), their first longplayer Miles (2022), and the EP Spotlight (2023), the three musicians are back with another independent publication. For half an hour, Smoke defys rusty nostalgia and provides a fresh and honest alternative rock sound.
Floating Heavyweights
Less a minute into the opening track Come Over, ROVAR have already served a wide range of musical styles without losing coherence. With high eloquence, the trio slides heavyweight riffing into a loungy atmosphere, and from catchy gang vocals into emotional passages. The album’s second track emphasizes the alternative rock attitude, and you might spot some parallels to the sound of grunge protagonists Daily Thompson here. Nevertheless, what Paul Ulrich (bass), Bennet Fuchs (drums), and Luca Mewes (guitar and vocals) present here is the refined and autonomous ROVAR sound. An outstanding feature of the latter are the massive grooves of the guitar which often connect vocal parts with instrumental passages.
On Spot
Even on smooth ballads such as Summer Day or Who Am I, ROVAR do not digress from their path of integrating multiple levels of heaviness and deepness to their sound. In the end, the beautiful part is how they wrap it up and present their versatile music through a golden thread and a thrilling arc of suspense. Smoke is a lean and yet opulent alternative rock album, a true gem of a timeless sound.
We will dance again
Mia Schem
