Being a music blogger than bring a kind of exquisite torture sometimes. When I hear music I love, I want to share it with the world. Sometimes I can do that straight away, but on other occasions I have to sit on it, zipping my lips and biting my tongue until it’s time to chat about it publicly. Esimorp reached out to me in August with their debut album Roar Like The Ocean. I can scarcely remember what else I was doing in August, but I know I played that album a lot. I shared the stellar single “The Minutes” with you, but I couldn’t really tell you just how good the rest of the songs were, until now.
Roar Like The Ocean draws you in from the opening guitar strains of “As Long as the World Spins.” The track starts small and atmospheric before building to the kind of stadium rock that characterises this album. Just like attending one of the best rock gigs, listening to Roar Like The Ocean is a thrilling experience from start to finish. It’s one of those rare albums where I don’t feel tempted to skip over songs, even after multiple listens. There are no filler tracks, but I do have a soft spot for “Paris,” which swept me up in its relentless driving rhythm. The romance and optimism of “Nothing More” also makes me smile widely. It’s so impressive the way Esimorp can switch gears from a sweet song like that to something more atmospheric and brooding like the latest single “Ghost Town.” Many of their tracks could inspire a whole stadium to get on their feet, but they show they also understand the power of the understated through a track like “My Wreckage.” Roar Like The Ocean has so many twists and turns, but it never veers so far left that it loses the listener. Instead I found myself hanging on white-knuckled and enjoying the ride, so engaged and excited by everything that came next.
I’ve gone back to this album so many times over the last few months. Every time I did, I found myself thinking of acts like Coldplay and U2. Many of Esimorp’s songs have a similar confidence and anthemic nature about them, but while those big bands have gotten a little bland over the years, Esimorp has all the excitement and enthusiasm that comes with being relative newcomers. You can hear the passion for these lyrics and love for their craft in what they do, and that makes their music so easy to connect to.
Roar Like The Ocean finally drops on November 15. Find it on all your favorite digital platforms and stream the hell out of it. Actually, go nuts and buy yourself a copy. Esimorp are based in Hong Kong, but with an Aussie in their band hopefully we see them on our shores sooner rather than later.
Image used with permission from Esimorp