Roves are a four piece band made up of childhood friends and brothers. Since forming in 2016 they have released three beautiful songs, with their EP set to be released in the new year. The band sell themselves as writing ‘spacious sad songs’ and ‘atmospheric and ambient’; with a gap in the market for alternative music, I predict 2019 will be the year for Roves.
The band members – Ethan Morgan, Connor Coutts, Matt Jamieson and Ellis Morgan – formed in 2016 after Morgan and Coutts’ previous band, Too Deep To Dive, split. The pair were looking for a drummer and bassist when they remembered meeting Jamieson, a Southampton University student, at a party once. Jamieson says he is always quick to say yes to every new opportunity and “this was no exception”.
Having found their drummer, Roves formed with Ethan’s younger brother, Ellis, joining on backing vocals and bass guitar. With Ethan on vocals, rhythm guitar and lyrics, and Connor on lead guitar, the foursome embarked on their first few gigs a couple of months later. They supported Valeras and Bloxx at Readipop in Reading (where the band originates from) and from there have gone from strength to strength.
The beauty of this band is in their exquisite songs. Ethan, the songwriter, has a magical way of creating masterpieces. The songs currently available  – ‘Always’, ‘All We Came To Know’ and ‘I Fear the Water’ – are striking in their lyrics and in the audio. They are impeccably written songs accompanied by essentially a perfect compilation of instrumental brilliance. In fact, the bands drummer, Matt, described Connor as a “genuine genius when it comes to writing guitar and bass parts,” and the result is simply astounding.
The band are hoping to create and develop even more over the Christmas break. Soon, Matt will be involved with some of the guitar effects, and all four hope to include all of their experiences in lyrics. Ethan’s unique way of creating these captivating lyrical pieces is undeniable, and many will be in awe of him. Over the break, the band are planning on putting all their experiences over the last few months into more lyrics, so the songs represent all of them.
Their debut studio EP, which will be released on 10th February 2019, will be called a strung out pilot and presents five new tracks to fans. The first song from the EP to be released will be ‘beneath my skin’ on December 11th.
With several gigs coming up in December, Roves are gearing up for a busy new year, a year where they will come into their own and start getting the wider recognition that they will deserve.
You can see Roves live on December 27th in Reading. ‘Always’, ‘I Fear The Water’ and ‘All We Came To Know’ are available now via Roves.
