Ronjo V’s Ronjoism starts with Un-Friend, an impassioned piece of indie-rock that sparkles with the careful dynamic established by the vocals, guitars, and piano. A bit of fuzz links together these disparate elements, giving the track a timeless feel that will appease fans of alternative from the 1990s, oughts, and current. The progression of the track imbues the effort with considerable catchiness, ensuring that listeners will eagerly devour the opening of A.G.L.S.. While the initial cut focused more on the dynamics established by instrumentation, this second offering of Ronjoism allows the vocals to pull double duty. Contributing both to the narrative of the song as well as the overall harmony of the song, these vox showcase another side to Ronjo V.
Dying Wish links together these elements into a brooding, intense composition that will resound loudly with listeners long after the EP has ceased to spin. A layer of echo is whipped up into a wall of sound, washing over fans even as Ronjo V’s constituent elements give it their all.
Caught succeeds due to a focus on the atmospheric elements of Ronjo V, with an extended lead out providing the perfect sort of highlighting for the EP’s final effort, Slow Motion. The dark and slinky sound of the band hides a very intricate and dense arrangement. Subsequent spins of this closing effort are necessary to hear everything that the band has secreted away; rich guitars, punctual drums, and nods to late-nineties rock (Stabbing Westward, Radiohead) are placed alongside gothic and even jam band-esque guitar work. Never one to settle, Ronjo V has crafted something special in their Ronjoism EP that will hopefully be expanded into a full album’s work of similarly-smart statements.
Top Tracks: Dying Wish, Slow Motion
Rating: 8.7/10
Ronjo V “Ronjoism” / 2015 Self / 6 Tracks / http://ronjov.com/index.html / https://www.facebook.com/Ronjo-V-366142210086836/