Rolo Tomassi

The first of three new songs from soon-to-come second album ‘Cosmology’, ‘Party Wounds’ seems capable of creating the very grinning gashes that its title suggests. So far the signs for the Diplo-produced new record are good – fluttering between metalcore growls and organ-effect synths, there’s little evidence of dancey polish for the sake of it.

‘Abraxas’ is up next, with Eva Spence’s tiny frame projecting the vocal anger of a lioness with nipple-ache, then, in the blink of an eye, the harmonies of a Yorkshire choirgirl. ‘Jealous Bones’ and ‘Beatrotter’ follow, before another new tune, ‘French Motel’. It’s a dramatic situation; in the same two-minute breath gliding from classical undertones to metalcore-fronted thrashtronica. They may have bagged a producer who’s at home remixing Britney and Kanye West, but the commercial aspect of RT’s new songs remain as accidental as the first lot; it’s much-needed futuristic chaos, but not as your local DJ may know it. This is the crux of Rolo Tomassi and also proves how much they’ve grown up in this last year. Their furore may once have been dismissed as impressive-but-simple teenage rebellion, but now they’re really revelling in all their perplexing glory.

The final new song exhibited tonight is ‘Kasia’, which does have a more disco tendency – this is the song you can really dance to. Backstage, pre-gig, Eva downs a shot of Jägermeister and explains how it deals with “the times you’re on tour, when you’re away from the people you love, how it effects those relationships. But they don’t change; good relationships stay the same”. After the head-banging reception given to this newie, the same could perhaps be said for the obvious love the band’s fans hold for them.

With James now stagediving, ‘Scabs’ and ‘Film Noir’ incite final moments of mayhem. Ending with the melting-circuitboard racket of ‘I Love Turbulence’, the quintet depart, Eva thanking everyone for coming and wishing them a good evening in her surprisingly gentle, almost timid speaking voice. But that deal was already sealed.

In 2010, Sheffield’s Rolo Tomassi still have the looks, the talent and that essential ability to ravage a live audience. As performers, their confidence is comfortable and ever-growing, and their determination to produce music that holds as much confusion as meaning remains solid; it would be foolish to underestimate what this band will deliver next.
- NME

Rating: 9
When Rolo’s debut ‘Hysterics’ finally pushed them beyond the boundaries of those who’d been in the know for the first three years of their career, the brashness and pure frenzy of their attack was seen as their primary weapon. It was, in fact, hysterical – lashing out in all directions and barely pausing for breath. However, with ‘Cosmology’ Rolo Tomassi have created something so rounded that their success can no longer be attributed to the mere excitement of youth, because it annihilates any criticism that they’re just being intentionally obtuse.
Even though they’re still head and shoulders above most hardcore bands – ‘House House Casanova’ and ‘French Motel’ are classic exercises in misdirection and barbed violence – it’s when they meddle with the sweet and seductive that their true power becomes evident. Eva Spence has always been renowned for her vocal prowess as a screamer, but behind that horrific growl lies a softly charming voice that makes ‘Kasia’ and the title track swoon. This, right here, is the sound of a band at the top of their game. At the top of their game for now, that is. It’s a staggering achievement and, in an ideal world, will inspire thousands of young hands to pick up instruments and start making music of their own. - Rocksound

"Steel City misfits look to stars on epic second album"

Since they exploded onto the scene in a blaze of youthful in 2005, Sheffield five-piece Rolo Tomassi have managed to ake a name for themselves without ever properly fitting in. Cranium-shaking heaviness, migraine inducing time signatures, weirdo synth freak outs and frontwoman Eva Spence's Jekyll and Hyde vocals made them a band entirely unlike any other, and earned them the thumbs up and support slots from The Bronx, Gallows and Biffy Clyro. They set the bar high on 2008's 4K-rated Hysterics debut album but, on Cosmology, they've created something truly impressive.

Dealing with matters of the universe, its fitting that the music sounds like its been sent from a distinctly unearthly plane. More conventional, 'normal' moments anchor it in the real world but the prevailing feeling throughout - like on The Dillinger Escape Plan-styled technicality of Agamemnon, or when Party Wounds shrieks, grooves and freaks like an even more beserk take on The Blood Brothers - is of a band operating within their own sonic civilisation, exploring and creating with free, easy abandon.

That the music doesn't always sound 'right' only adds to the thrill. Half a minute into the maelstrom of French Motel, for example, there's a jarring breakdown of stabbing guitars colliding with wonky keyboards that sound like they're tumbling down a staircase. It might not be pretty but it is effective, and there are similar moments all over the record. It makes everything slightly off-kilter and delightfully left field, but its an integral part of the album and this bands unique charm.

More than an exercise in wilful peculiarity, though, Cosmology is built on contrasts, most notably the struggle between beauty and grotesqueness, between aggression and sensuality. Its a delicious friction rendered perfectly on monolithic centerpiece, Kasia. A delicate, swirling lullaby eases things along before chugging riffs, razor-throated barking and Eva's sweet, spectral croon ushers in a blistering crescendo and throws everything off balance.

As with all things this band do, Cosmology is a little weird and not always pleasant but there is a special something here that makes it work. Those who didn't 'get' them before will surely scratch their heads yet again but for those already tuned into their bizarre frequency, this is a record that sees Rolo Tomassi fully taking hold of their artistic license and creating something brilliant with it. - Kerrang