Roza: Find Out About The Fresh Indie Band Perking Up Our Ears

‘Roża’ ( Maltese for pink) is here to bring sweet, sweet music to our ears.

Roza captures crisp and fresh young spirit

They’ve captured the crisp, fresh and young spirit of indie’s textured melodies through an amalgamation of musical perspectives delivered through a single entity – and their music is set to trigger all the feels.  

This band doesn’t fit into one single box – staying true to the spirit of indie. The sound is eclectic but catchy, You’ll find yourself singing along to their music after a couple of listens. 

“The single High Speed Chase deals with the longing of wanting to start afresh somewhere new, with new opportunities. Ultimately, it’s about new beginnings.”

Roza
Roza

A charming variety of characters

Why did you call the band Roża’?

“Around a year after we got together, we were still looking for a brand name. One that is versatile and dynamic enough to represent our style. On a day trip as a group, our frontman Ben was wearing a pink t-shirt, which prompted the idea in his head. We immediately fell in love with the name once he suggested it. As it also represents our Maltese roots.”

The band is made up of quite a charming variety of characters, each bringing their own elements to the table- 

“Starting from the rhythm section, Glen is organized, prudent and inquisitive. Cheyenne is the backbone of the band, staying rational and responsible at all times. The keyboardist, Matthew, is structured, and assertive while our guitarist, Luke is the comical, relaxed and chaotic one. Ben, is the creative, practical, and bold one.”

If you could describe roża as a person, how would you do so? 

“Roża can never simply be one person, that would be way too chaotic! Our personalities are too different and contrasting. Although we always manage to find some sort of middle ground. We all agree that Roża is more of a 90s sitcom following the story of a dysfunctional family of eccentrics. All trying to navigate the complicated world of the music industry with episodes centered around recording, releasing, performing, and promoting music.”

Can you mention some artists you draw your inspiration from? 

We all have our own inspirations which can be heard through our individual parts. However, as a band, our sound is definitely inspired by greats such as R.E.M. and Rex Orange County. Kevin Parker is also a big inspiration. We’re in love with his DIY attitude and try to implement that into our sound as much as we can. 

What’s the most memorable gig you’ve done so far? 

“We’d say that the most memorable gig we’ve done so far was most definitely Farsons Beerfestival. which is one of the biggest Maltese events held annually. Neither of us ever thought we would be on this stage, especially because it’s only been a year after releasing our debut single.

We are eternally grateful to have been given the opportunity by industry professionals who believed in us.”

Roza Live
Roza Live

Roza release “Bag of Lies”

Roża introduced themselves onto the local music scene back in 2018, With the release of the ethereal single, ‘Bag of Lies’. It gained a lot of recognition. This track is a little more downbeat than High-Speed Chase.

“The instrumentation for “High-Speed Chase” is more adventurous than ‘Bag of Lies’ which serves as a good bridge between our debut single and the music we’re creating at the moment.” But I feel that it retains its distinct sound nonetheless”.

Here’s what they had to say about this ‘feels inducer’- 

 “We all have our own individual interpretations of the song. However, the overall feeling of the track represents the listener’s individual experience with their own past, Be it relationships with themselves, friends, family, lovers, or acquaintances. The song allows the individual to connect with a time. Which they would not return to. Giving him/her the chance to experience a moment in which they needed a helping hand but found themselves alone.”

Making use of working remotely and keeping a good dynamic going

Where do you see roża in the next couple of years? 

“Hopefully, with a few more releases under our belt. It might be a bit quiet for now, given that two of our members have relocated. However, we are re-orienting ourselves to the new normal. Making use of working remotely and keeping a good dynamic and rhythm going. The pandemic is a good opportunity for us to learn how to cooperate remotely. We’ve managed to write a few good songs and are excited to be able to show everyone what we’ve been working on.

“Rest assured that a lot of great stuff from roża is on the way.” 

Roza Live
Roza Live

Roza Socials

Images Courtesy of Rob Galfeo and Marin Babanov

Written by Nicola Tabone

Nicola Tabone is a Malta-based content writer with experience writing about music and subculture.

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