Bringing us great music all the way from Austin, Texas, is the creative and talented Ronjo V. Looking to make some waves with their emotional and thought provoking album titled Ronjoism, and with a name like Ronjo V, there is some obvious tongue and cheek humor to this musical act.
Opening with the Smashing Pumpkins meets Silversun Pickups style track titled Slo Motion, Ronjo V wastes no time grabbing your full attention. The production value of the song is top notch, and the more you listen for more layers, the more layers you find. Vocal lines upon pianos upon guitars upon even more vocals, and what you get is a beautifully written song that acts as a perfect way to introduce this exciting band to their new audience.
Following the single-worthy track Slo Motion is the Gandharvas style track UnFriend, and much like Slo Motion, this track finds that sentimental emotion deep within and drags it to the surface. The song itself feels very melancholy but also a bit hopeful, truly this song would have fit perfectly within the great 90’s wave of sound. My only real complaint about the song is the brevity of it, at just under two minutes and thirty seconds long, I can’t help but feel they chose to bail a little too early, and hopefully they will remix this track and add a more progressive ending to such a beautiful track (fingers crossed).
A track titled Dying Wish is an off-tempo psychedelic journey through an emotional minefield. As with the other songs off this inspired album, this song is composed gorgeously, and everything just seems to fit, even though it feels as though it might be looking to spin apart at any second. What Ronjo V brings to the table is controlled chaos, and for that reason alone they deserve respect. The ending to Dying Wish is what I wanted to hear from this band, something that took a chance to get louder, grittier, and more in your face.
Ronjo V might have some humor in their name, but as far as I can tell that is where it ends. Every track is a journey, and a worthwhile one at that. If you like the 90’s in any capacity, or are simply looking for an album that brings something new to the table, this album should be the one you gravitate towards.
9/10
