The Local Romance thrill with a gritty, vulnerable debut ep 'The Darkest Parts of Me'.
- Keely Naylon
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
‘Once inside there’s no coming back’ The Local Romance declares in their opening track of their debut EP album, ‘The Darkest Parts of Me’, released 9th January 2026.
An album drenched in vulnerability, dark, growling, an enjoyable, purposefully clashing emotionality with the industrial. Brisbane band The Local Romance have blown expectations out of the water with this thoughtful, well-paced, debut EP, that is sure to draw in many fresh listeners.
Following a beautiful, cinematic instrumental introduction to set the tone of the tracks to come, a lost art for many other newer EPs and albums, we’re thrown into a hearty, thrashing first track, ‘Are You Somewhere?’
It’s immediately familiar to alternative metal lovers, thick, chunky guitar riffs interspersed with an emotive, squealing guitar, singing out. There’s a distorted quality that’s common in heavy alternative metal that’s executed excellently, and nicely complimented by the vocals of Zeph Chambers melodic rasp that has the capability of descending into a satisfying scream.
‘Are You Somewhere?’ has an anthemic quality that several of the tracks on this EP have, with expansive choruses and a grooving bass line, lifting the gritty guitars up from what might have become sludge metal.
Meanwhile, ‘DATURA’ is a truly heavy track, the heaviest of The Local Romance’s career thus far. A grumbling, churning guitar, tuned down and threatening, a song you’ll feel in your bones played live with every note. Whilst it’s the darkest, heaviest track, it contains a still fun, driving bass-line that sometimes gets buried beneath the business of the rest of the track. There’s a pulsating almost techno beat over a portion of the song that can feel overwhelming, or the perfect amount of thrashing sound, depending on the listener.
The Local Romance have captured all the elements of a perfect alternative metal song in their third track, ‘In Your Eyes’. Previously released as a single 5 December last year, it is reminiscent of British rock band Boston Manor. A melodic throughline woven tightly with an emotional weight and a rough, grinding, guitar tone.
The breakdown for ‘In Your Eyes’ is so severe it feels as though the only acceptable movement is to break in two with the force of it, in the very best way it feels like it’s dripping in evil, like only a good alternative metal breakdown can be. Similarly enticing is the anxiety filled tremolo picking in the later half of the track, giving the song an added tension, like a wire being pulled too tight, right before it’s about to snap.
Slowly bringing the EP down again from the early highs is the fourth track of ‘The Darkest Parts of Me’, ‘Rescue Me’, also released as a single late last year (10 October). Chambers' capacity for vulnerability and sensitivity is clear and expansive with this track. His vocals are raw, begging, filled with grit and anguish. We’re treated to a full exploration of their sound, leaving some moments feeling empty, and listless, with only a soft synth-like sound showing a thoughtful restraint that’s perfectly and swiftly undercut by a thundering guitar like a punch to the gut.
Finally, the EP comes to a close with the last and most powerful track on the EP, ‘Still The Same’. It’s softer and sadder, with a cinematic sound, dramatic, sincere and when the chorus kicks in, it becomes anthemic. Often, the final track on an EP can be an afterthought, yet it feels like The Last Romance have hidden their best song at the end.
It begins with an industrial-like sound, as though you’re wandering through an abandoned, cold, warehouse, throwing rocks at metal beams. Yet The Local Romance progressively turned the heat up with an atmospheric, building, crunchy, and distorted guitar tone, in addition to a thriving drum section, giving the song a solid growing momentum. It’s their longest track to date yet it doesn’t feel bloated, each moment is a necessary building block in this delightful slow-burn that comes together in the end to create a roaring fire of feelings and sound.
It’s an excellent end to an already incredible debut EP. An EP that is clear in vision and sound, creating a moody, atmospheric, and heavy world for listeners to trawl through. It’s an exciting start for 2026’s Australian alternative metal scene.
The Local Romance are celebrating the release of ‘The Darkest Parts of Me’ with a headline gig at The Black Bear Lodge (Brisbane) on February 7th alongside other local talents Cardboard Cutouts, Garden Eyes, and Static.
STREAM ‘THE DARKEST PARTS OF ME’ ON SPOTIFY and apple music.
