Let the Road

Personnel: Jake Roche (vocals); Charley Bagnall (guitar); Daniel Wilkin (keyboards); Lewi Morgan (drums).
Photographer: Lindsey Byrnes.
Caught in between the dance-rock cool of Ireland's Two-Door Cinema Club and the earnest production of '90s English boy band BBMak, Rixton are at their best when they're being delightful or ridiculous. Produced by Benny Blanco, Robopop, Rob Golan, and Steve Mac, and featuring writing contributions from such ubiquitous contemporary pop luminaries as Ed Sheeran, Mike Posner, and Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, the group's debut album, 2015's Let the Road, is a slick, occasionally invigorating listen that showcases the group's pop- and R&B-infused sound. Centered around the resonant, lad-about-town lead-vocals of Jake Roche, Rixton are a lot like One Direction, if One Direction sounded more like Maroon 5. Cuts like "Me and My Broken Heart," "Speakerphone," and "We All Want," soar through your ears like skillfully constructed heat-seeking-missiles of radio-ready pop. Also redeeming are such cheekily infectious pop aperitifs as the Bruno Mars-ish "I Like Girls," and the very '90s, Color Me Badd-esque, opening a cappella title track. ~ Matt Collar