Despite the pitfalls 2020 has presented to the music industry overall, Rochester based indie band Roses & Revolutions have had an incredibly busy and impressive year! The duo, made up of Alyssa Coco and Matt Merritt, released their EP Under the Spell on April 17. About the EP, the group said “This group of songs is a collection of emotions that we experienced over the past year or so. It’s a mix of anxiety, identity crisis, paranoia, hope and everything in between. Whether you’re listening on vinyl, at home or streaming on a lonely walk, we hope these 6 songs take you out of your reality and into a different world for a bit.”
The pair didn’t slow down there. First, two of their songs, “Big Bad Wolf” and “Still Standing” were featured on the hit Netflix show Selling Sunset. Then they released a harmony-filled single in collaboration with Brandon Jenner titled “Dancing in a Daydream”. Most recently, their Covers EP was released featuring covers of artists ranging from Fall Out Boy to The Weeknd. Their cover of The 1975’s “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” was released as a single from that EP, and is currently their most popular song on Spotify.
This follows a long history of success on Spotify for R&R, who have often been added to popular playlists that have skyrocketed their visibility, and led to overnight viral hits in Canada and the UK. Even wilder, Spotify led them to a record deal! The CEO of Nettwerk Records emailed the band after hearing their song on the Discover Weekly playlist in 2016.
The duo started releasing music together under the Roses & Revolutions name in 2015, after connecting through their local music scene on Myspace. Their sound has always lived comfortably between genres, leaning more towards indie, pop, country, or alternative depending on the song. But one thing’s for sure, Coco’s stellar voice and the fact that the pair compose and produce all of their own music means that every song is distinctly theirs.
Check out their Scenes Live Session down below!
