Earlier this year, indie favorite SOS (previously known as She’s Only Sixteen) released their first song of the year titled “Roses.” It’s their bread and butter love song that touches on unrequited love or breaking hearts. While they rose to popularity as part of the indie rock wave that was the hallmark sound of the 2010s indie scene, they lean in their rebranded indie-electronic sound, which they transitioned to in their 2020 EP, The Other Side.
“Roses” starts off with an ambient synth sound and riff that runs throughout the song. The lyrical structures are short, with verses and a pre-chorus that are more or less two lines. Frontman Roberto Seña hops from melody to melody between each section of the song save for the chorus that repeats all throughout the track.
Right off the bat, the pre-chorus is the catchier melody and lyrical structure out of the bunch. In terms of the instrumentation, the bridge is sonically pleasing with good build-up and climax that makes the song more interesting. However, as it transitions into the last chorus, the variation in instrumentation comes off short-lived and not long enough to be fully appreciated. Likewise, the abrupt end of the song makes it feel incomplete, in contrast to the 33-second intro.
When looking at the song from an overall perspective, the lyrics don’t stand out too much save for a few parts, such as “My friends they think I’m up to no good / It sucks to be so misunderstood,” “But when I show you the truth / You choose to see them as roses,” and “Oh, I should be trying not to break your heart.”
With the mix of high and low points, the song balances itself out. However, generally, there’s really nothing that makes the track particularly striking or an elevated sound. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, the result is just a lukewarm track that doesn’t stand out in their overall discography.
Listen to SOS’ “Roses” here: