Over the last couple of years, we have been privileged to share a series of terrific mini-gig performances with our readers. Seeing these great artists connecting with music-lovers, from their home to ours, has been especially important as real live shows have been somewhat limited. It’s always a delight to watch and listen to these exclusive shows, featuring stripped back versions of songs performed with real heart and soul.
For our latest mini-gig, we have two superb songs from duo Roses & Revolutions, AKA long-time collaborators Alyssa Coco and Matt Merritt. The pair’s music has been licensed to Netflix and a host of other television networks; it’s easy to understand why when you absorb their intimate, dark storytelling. Having played in various bands together over the years, Coco and Merritt’s obvious chemistry led to them working as a duo, which paid off when ‘The Pines’ went viral on Spotify. Just after Roses & Revolutions released their second EP, the pandemic meant that promotional tours had to be put on hold. Coco and Merritt used their time productively, writing all-new material, mostly at night. Roses & Revolutions have just released a new six-song EP, ‘Midnight Monsters’. Merritt says of the environment the new songs were written in: “There’s a little town near us and at night it was completely deserted, so we would go for a walk. At the time it was winter, and we would come home to our bedroom studio and just write and record.” Working at night, as referenced in the EP’s title, seemed to have an effect on the mood and the music, as Coco explains: “As the sun goes down, I get down, and it’s always been like that for me. But that also happens to be the time that Matt and I are most creative. So, we were capturing those midnight monsters and getting them into song.” The resulting songs possess a magical, dreamy quality, tinged with a narrative realism.
The two songs recorded here for AUK readers are beautifully crafted. Over gentle guitar and keys, Coco’s voice rises and falls, flowing through a gorgeous melody. It’s a joy to see her lost in the music. Check it out.
