When you find out one of Australia’s best vocalists is about to drop a new album, you drop everything and do whatever you can to listen to their songs. When this artist has been responsible for some of your favourite songs over the past 15 years, it makes it that much more exciting. Here, on her debut solo album, Hayley Mary manages to quench this excitement and delivers the goods with Roman XS, an album that traverses luscious and expansive sounds, all tied up within classic rock vibes and feels.
After first breaking out with The Jezabels, it would be understandable if Hayley Mary wanted to continue to pursue the brooding success her former band achieved. From angst-filled realistic takes on life hidden behind sweeping rock soundscapes and hypnotic drums, Hayley Mary had every right to want to do this once more in solo form. And yet, when she went solo with her 2020 EP The Piss, The Perfume, she embraced a steadier diet of classic rock and came out the other side hungrier for more. Here on Roman XS, she’s followed on with that trend, whilst dipping her toe ever so slightly back into her brooding past.
Opening track “One Last Drag” chugs along backed by a disco beat, with the instantly recognisable vocals doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s a strong start that only leads into bigger and better moments, with “Millionaire” sounding like an off-cut from Prisoner era The Jezabels, while “The Lonely One” feels like the most complete song on the album, as it looks back on a fond relationship while looking forward to a more prosperous future.
As part of promo for Roman XS, Hayley Mary has touched on why she’s named the album as such. “I’d like to leave something behind of value…It may end me, or it may propel me to the stars, but at the fall of Rome, they say it was excess that brought it down, but at least we still talk about them.” It’s this sentiment that puts the listener into the frame-of-mind Hayley Mary was in when working on the album for the past three and half years. Why bother making something just for clicks and content? In a world where all art is consumed in an increasingly excessive and accessible rate, it feels like we’ve drifted from true connection to albums and back catalogues. I couldn’t tell you the last time I sat down to listen to an album, front-to-back, purely for enjoyment purposes. This lack of connection is exactly what Hayley Mary is trying to avoid with Roman XS. She wants her debut album to be something we’ll remember, even if it ruins her. And frankly, after a couple listens through, it feels like she may have just about achieved this.
“Some Rainbows” and “Eighteen” both build and build until they reach their respective climaxes, doing their best to mimic the stadium rock feels The Killers have mastered over the past two decades. “The Ballad of Ruby Wednesday” is up beat and fun filled, while “What Makes A Man Cry” and closer “Eris” are introspective and show a reflective side to Hayley Mary that hadn’t necessarily shown itself prior.
The peak of the album feels like “Primordial Afterglow”, a rollicking 4-minutes that throws caution to the wind with added percussion, horns and a sunny weekend afternoon disposition. It’s bloody great and one I look forward to seeing on the upcoming album tour.
In a time where careers are short and legacies even shorter, I have a feeling Hayley Mary may done enough here on Roman XS to really stake her claim as one of the greats.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Roman XS from Hayley Mary is out on Friday, 25th October – pre-order HERE (vinyl available)
Hayley Mary heads out on tour in support of Roman XS on the following dates:
Friday 25 October – Old Habits, Perth
Saturday 26 October – Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide
Friday 1 November – Waywards, Sydney
Saturday 2 November – Black Bear Lodge Brisbane
Friday 29 November – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
For more info and to purchase tickets, head here.
