I still occasionally listen to Rome’s last album, The Lone Furrow, released in August 2020, and here we are already being presented with a new one. A bit too fast? Maybe. However, when you take a look at the band’s release history it’s clear that a quick succession of albums is their normal modus operandi. Since the project around mastermind Jerome Reuter came into existence in 2005, they have been putting out releases almost every year. I’m not familiar with all those albums, but the last LP was very good indeed. Is Parlez-Vous Hate? as good as The Lone Furrow? Let’s find out.

Just by comparing the cover of the new album to that of the previous one you will realize that these are obviously two very different animals. The white minimalism of The Lone Furrow and the loud colours of Parlez-Vous Hate? couldn’t be further apart. While the neo folk of The Lone Furrow had a decisively dark, partly misanthropic tinge, the music on Parley-Vous Hate? is of a different nature. The genre is still neo folk, but there are tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the themes are political, and irony is frequently used.

It’s nothing unusual for folk to be political, of course. In fact, folk music (I’m talking about the American kind) has a long tradition of commenting on politics. But Rome’s new album goes further than that. It directly addresses the audience, asking them to take a stance, hence the question form of the album title. And the question being asked is a rather uncomfortable one.

Do you speak Hate? I must admit that I do, occasionally. We probably all do, and that is precisely the problem. My main object of hate is the orange madman that used to live in the White House, his enablers and his brothers in spirit across Europe and the world. I am talking about Johnson, Orban, Bolsonaro. I hate their guts for trying their best to undo the accomplishments of civilization. Of course, I know that hate won’t get us anywhere and will only widen the societal divide. The two sides need to talk. But it sure is difficult as hell to talk to these people.

The album’s music, in stark contrast to the album’s uncomfortable subject, is melodic, harmonious and very pleasant to listen to. There are even some anthems among the tracks that you can sing along to almost immediately. The acoustic guitar is often a central element in the music, as is Jerome Reuter’s voice. The lyrics are mostly in English, with a few sentences in German thrown in here and there. Apart from acoustic guitar and voice, electronics are also made frequent use of, giving some compositions an industrial touch.

Of the album’s twelve songs, I like the second six better than the first six. They agree more with my usual musical diet of blackness and melancholia. My two favourite tracks are Feral Agents, an electronics-heavy, industrial piece, and You Owe Me A Whole World, a particularly infectious folk song.

For the majority of our readers this might constitute too much of a detour from their usual musical course, but Parlez-Vous Hate? is nevertheless an enjoyable, thought-provoking album. Recommended.

(7/10 Slavica)

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