Lolitslea — RollerCoaster Tycoon ALBUM REVIEW
Updated: Sep 10
New Jersey-based artist lolitslea brand their music as “neon pop-punk” and that might be one of the most apt descriptions of a soundscape I’ve heard recently. With the upcoming release of “RollerCoaster Tycoon,” the band have conjured the pure distilled essence of the late 2000s/early 2010s and condensed it into 16 tracks full of driving guitars, amusingly odd samples, and enough angst to spawn a Hot Topic in the near vicinity of their studio. The album commences with a four-song sequence of fist-pumping singalongs and the perfect amount of “love sucks” energy to satisfy the inner emo being tempted back out by the 2000s renaissance going on recently. With riffs augmented by the sound of a Monster energy drink being cracked open (“Summer of 09”) and a digital crowd screaming with excitement (“RollerCoaster Tycoon”), it’s by far the strongest run on the whole album and sandwiched between two of the excellent transitional video-game-inspired pieces co-produced by GlitchGum. These serve to earmark distinct sections of the album and indicate when tone changes are on their way, which is immediately apparent in the middle section. Unfortunately, the energy seems to drop noticeably by the time “Chemistry” begins, a song that sounded so identical to the Neon Trees’ “Animal” that I actually had to pause and check if that track had started playing in another tab somewhere. While the bouncy 8-bit “Tragedy” helped to bring me back in somewhat, the following “Whenever You’ll Be” only furthered the sonic divide by bringing in a strangely flat-sounding violin as part of an acoustic ballad. The lyricism across the whole album has been quite consistent, focusing on heartbreak and the pursuit of love in a society more self-obsessed than ever, but even those poignant words couldn’t shake the disjointed nature I felt from this middle section. Things pick back up again after the third GlitchGum piece as the tempo rises and the pop-punk energy returns on “I hate sugar!!!” with its tongue-in-cheek comparisons to toxic relationships and swallowing one’s pride to carry on a relationship.
This song also sported my single favorite vocal moment of the whole album - a passage about halfway through where a bitcrushed vocoder dominates an entire verse in a manner reminiscent of old Xbox Live voice comms. Despite a rough middle section, lolitslea stick the landing with the last three songs and particularly with “Sleep Over,” a strong closing track featuring K Enagonio of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on the album’s heaviest moment. K informs us that “2011 called and they want their breakdowns back” as GlitchGum’s “Credits” piece closes out the 16-track run to an 8-bit piano rendition of the main riff to “Sleep Over”. I found “RollerCoaster Tycoon” to be an incredibly ambitious and well-concepted album for the most part, full of engaging sound design and some truly fantastic nods to the 2000s culture that lolitslea are clearly aiming to channel. I would have loved to hear more use of the bitcrushing and chiptuned sequences found in the GlitchGum pieces, as I think they would have added some very interesting accents to the main body of the album. It’s a strong showing for an independent artist, especially for what is only their second full-length record, and I can hear every bit of the work they put into it.
“RollerCoaster Tycoon” drops September 15th and is independently produced by lolitslea. You can see the band’s next performance on September 6th in Asbury Park, NJ with Isetmyfriendsonfire.
Favorite tracks: Summer of 09, Tragedy (ft. Jack the Underdog), Sleep Over (ft. K Enagonio)
For fans of: Honey Revenge, South Arcade, This Wild Life, 3OH!3
Review by Ryan S.
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