It is World Goth Day 2024 and I am listening to Repeat, the debut full length from moody Swedish rockers KROM. I’m thinking to myself that it probably is quite goth, but maybe not in the World Goth Day Goth-as-style sense. No moonlit phantom, their music sounds solid rather than ethereal. A charging thing of gristle and bone more likely to leave a dent than shatter on impact.
They don’t shy away from the idea, even calling a track ‘Adolescent Goth Anthem’ on an earlier EP. If such self-mocking humour risks the heavily kohl-ed eyes of the undead narrowing with suspicion, the album may be dark and stormy enough to win their cold hearts. ‘Layers’ opens with a sense of purpose, thumping drums and bass rumble pushing on, slashing guitars and angsty vocals claiming not to care how you feel. He doesn’t sound too happy about it though.
Despite its title Repeat switches between a range of perspectives on their core thing, particularly in its first half. A great, driving, bass line powers ‘Stupid’, an exhausted self assessment that rises on a bright keyboard line for its slender chorus. It’s towards the back end of it that the churning blend of post punk and psych moves reminds you they’re on Evil Blizzard’s label, but mostly it’s the sentiment of the song.
‘Streams Of Unconsciousness’ is the big one, the potential surprise breakthrough tune. With a glossy pop sheen and a notable swagger it feels epic and unstoppable. A flowing guitar line soars over the driving rhythm section and it’s over in a blink, making me think of a lost Glasvegas single that should have been a hit. It really ought to open a few doors for them but, here we are in 2024 and it’ll likely sink in the endless tide.
They follow that shiny bauble with the band at their most saucer-eyed and spacey on ‘Gently’ a slow grinding fuzz with effects heavy vocals and ‘On Repeat’ a nippy punker drizzled with phaser swirls. Possible mission statement ‘Bring Me Noise’ has a sullen bass line and squalling guitars but is more a kind of mantra than an outright noise blast. Pleasingly metallic percussion starts ‘Undone’ where the deep bass gets deeper and the synth becomes a weirdo circling drone.
The sickly synths, powering riffs and relentless battering drums, combined with the odd bleak lyric breaking the surface do make you go “yeah, this is well goth actually” but mostly Repeat suggests that they’re sure to be good live. That the louder, noisier, and more overwhelming this music is, the better it will be. They’ve apparently spent a lot of time mixing this to get it as they want and it does sound good. It’s not a studio tinkering record though, it’s the sound of a loud rock band. Dark and strong.
