Liz Rohr is an eighteen-year-old indie singer/songwriter who has already been very prolific. She has released three albums, two EPs and a few singles. Most recently she released “Shut Up And Talk Less.” Rohr explains “This song is indie pop, taking influence from artists such as Rex Orange County, Cavetown, Clairo, The 1975 and more. I often write about love and relationships. This song is a fun love song.”
The song starts with a strummed guitar progression and bass. That is quickly followed by drums and vocals. Right off the bat I liked Rohr’s vocals. She sounds at ease and sings with a comfortable range. I was reminded of Courtney Barnett in some ways. The lyrics are clever and the melodies are well done and infectious.
There’s an additional lead guitar that comes into the mix and the song starts to build with more and more energy. I also thought the vocal harmonies were well done. The hook is fantastic when it arrives and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Rohr gets back to the verse under the two-minute mark and then she revisits the hook multiple times. There seems to be more vocal harmonies on the second hook.
After that there’s a quick breakdown which quickly grows with more instrumentation. At first you just hear her vocals, followed by a bass and eventually the full arrangement. The song goes on a little longer with instrumentation and comes to a satisfying end.
Singles aren’t easy to make. They require catchy melodies, a good hook and need to be memorable upon first listen so people will want to listen to it again. I would say Rohr achieved all of that with this song.
The fact that Rohr is making such well written music at such a young age tells me there are a lot to look forward to from this artist. Rohr is obviously passionate about music given her output. When you combine that with her innate talent you get this type of quality music.
