Short Reviews [Ugly Roomers - 2018 - "Creatures of Habit"]

US band UGLY ROOMERS is a band that appeared a few years back, and it seems that 2015 may have been the first year the band ventured beyond their rehearsal locales. They have made music available on YouTube and Reverbnation over the years, and in 2018 they released the EP "Creatures of Habit", which I presume is their debut. This is a band that seeks out the progressive rock universe in an unconventional manner, also within this context. They bring quite a few alternative vibes to the proceedings for starters, and they seem to take a gleeful joy in being subtly avant at times, in a manner somewhat comparable to what Norwegian band Virus did at the end of their span. The music is also dark and grimy, with a vocalist that has something of a punk tinge to his often raspy voice, while the core foundation of the songs gets a bit closer to the blues foundations than what is common in the genre. Expressive rhythms and a booming bass tends to dominate, and with a closed in sound chosen by the band the net effect is almost claustrophobic at times. Occasional floating guitar layers and distant keyboards offsets this somewhat, and adds a needed contrast in these creations. Heavy, blues-laden progressive rock with subtle avant sensibilities explored in a fairly grimy context is probably how I would summarize this initial EP by Ugly Roomers. A niche creation within what is till a niche genre, one of those EPs that will be treasured by a small but dedicated audience I surmise.