There’s nothing greater than discovering an album that was seemingly made just for you, where everything just clicks and you know you’ve found your new favorite band. Turn It On!, the debut album by Aussie rockers Romero, is currently THAT album for me. Since it was recommended to me by a friend a few months ago, I have not stopped listening to it.
In short, Turn It On! is the hookiest and most fun rock record you will listen to in 2022. It’s an instant classic and a confident debut to boot. Every song bursts with early-aughts indebted garage rock, and there’s a palpable sense of live energy that never lets up. The fuzz-rock riffs are catchy and driving, and the hooks are endless, but what holds it all together is singer Alanna Oliver, whose presence is commanding and soulful. Few bands are willing to just let ‘er rip as much as Romero, and Oliver’s vocal theatrics are a major part of why listening to Turn It On! so just so dang fun.
I also love that there’s a little grime to the production. The band easily could’ve polished up Oliver’s vocals and everything around it, but I think the decision to leave it a little bit scuzzy makes the album all that much better. It sounds like a loud and sweaty bar. Think Is This It? or anything by Sheer Mag.
Turn It On! is also a fantastic running album, as you might’ve guessed. It’s been a staple for me on my 3 milers for about a month now, mostly because it’s live energy is easy to feed off of, as if the band is playing a show just for you.
In a recent feature for Pitchfork, it briefly mentioned that Alanna was also a runner, which of course got my attention. Luckily for me, Alanna was kind enough to take a break from her busy schedule to hop on an early morning (Australia time) call with me last month to talk about running, music, and whether or not running helps her singing.
[Note: interview edited for length and clarity.]
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First of all, thank you for hopping on a chat with me today. I know it’s a little early where you are.
Oh it’s fine! I’m not sure if my answers will be very interesting, but I’m happy to be here nonetheless. I do love running.
Awesome. So, to jump in here, when did you start running?
I started running when I was really young in primary school. I was a very good long distance runner. So, when I was young I would often compete in cross-country and long distance runs and stuff like that. I started running really young and I really loved it. But as I got older, throughout high school and in my teens and I guess my early twenties, I didn’t really run at all. I didn’t keep fit in any way. It wasn’t until COVID hit that I started to really focus on getting fit. There was nothing else to really do. But yeah I got obsessed with fitness. I guess that’s one of the positives that came from being locked down that now I guess I have a more balanced lifestyle. I look after myself a bit more now.
It’s such a good thing to do. What’s your typical running schedule in a given week?
Running at the moment… it is winter, so we have a lot of rain. So at the moment I’m not running as much. I think I would usually go for about two runs a week and probably run about 6k or something each time. But because it’s wet at the moment, I probably run about once a week. I do other fitness out the back under the shelter to make up for that.
Yeah? What else do you do?
At the moment, I’m trying to do three 28-minute circuit workouts a week. One on arms, one abs, one legs.
Gotcha. That’s definitely important, especially to include alongside running.
Yeah, the other stuff, absolutely! So that’s sort of my schedule at the moment.
Right on. What’s the longest distance you’ve ever run?
It was throughout COVID, about 17k so about 10 miles or something like that?
So why do you run? What do you like about it?
Good question. I think running gives me time to think. I can get in a bit of a meditative state whilst I run. It’s like the first form of fitness or exercise that I ever did. So it’s comfortable for me. If I’m going for a run, I feel like a run is like a low-intensity exercise for me which makes me feel good. I really enjoy having that time to myself, and running is one of the best ways to do that I think.
I’m always curious with musicians, how does running help your creative process? Do you write lyrics while you run?
Yeah, I actually find that I do listen to demos when I run, and yeah, I have the time to think about what I want to change or what I want to work on, what I like, what I don’t like. I like to listen to demos whilst I run, for sure. Not all the time though [laughs].
Do you think it helps, like if the demo sounds good on a run then that’s a hit?
[laughs] With Romero, it’s such a collaborative experience so even if I thought it was an absolute banger, we’ve got about four other people who need to feel exactly the same. But yeah if I like it and it keeps me running, then that’s a good thing. It’s a positive thing.
So what do you listen to when you run other than your demos?
Nothing! No, I’m kidding.
Well, you’d be surprised. Some people don’t!
Yeah, you’re right some people don’t listen to music.
I don’t know how they do it.
Neither do I. And I never wanna try it. Like I just know that’s not for me.
I did that once when the batteries ran out of my headphones and I had to run a mile home in silence. It was weird. I don’t like listening to myself breathe [laughs]
[laughs] Yeah and listen to the struggle! The struggle is real. At the moment, I’m listening to a band from Hobart, Australia called Bitumen. They’re really cool, you should check them out. Ferg, our guitarist, got me into them. They’re like industrial, electronic but like post-punky band. Really cool, really dark stuff. Really moody.
Do you tend to gravitate to that sort of thing when running?
Nah, I listen to a variety of music. Sometimes I’ll listen to disco, some Gary Numan. Love Gary Newman. It changes. But at the moment, Bitumen is an absolute vibe.
That’s cool. I wanted to ask you, as a singer, does running help with your singing?
I love that you’ve asked this question. Running probably does help with that. I think it helps more with the stamina on stage. With our record, there’s a lot of words and a lot of vocal acrobatics, and I think running helps with that. However, what I enjoy more for my singing – and what I like to do on the day of a show – is to swim. Swimming laps just really opens up my lungs and the lung capacity. So swimming I just find it to be the top dog for that stuff. And then I always like to top it off with like a steam room afterwards to like congratulate myself for swimming [laughs]. That also then lubricates my vocal chords really nicely. It’s like some singers before they perform – before they sing – they like to pour a bowl of hot water and put a tea towel or something like that over their head and breathe it in. It’s like that but more luxurious [laughs].
I’d rather the spa as well.
[laughs] Yeah me too. I charge it to the band account.
It’s funny you mention that because a lot of vocals on your record – like on “Happy Hour” – the cadence is so interesting and I imagine you must run out of breath easily.
Oh yeah, sometimes I’m like why did I write this? This is torture! [laughs] I’ve actually decided that… well… I think for the second record I’d like to keep that in mind more. You know, I’ve never played in a rock band before so I’ve learned a few things though this first record that I’ll need to keep in mind for the second one.
Is there a run in particular that you’re most proud of? Maybe a race or something?
I think… not the most proud of but one that sticks out for me… there’s not really a run I’m most proud of but I do remember when I was younger a cross-country event where I wasn’t coming first by any means. I was in like 15th or something. But my mom was running alongside me and yelling at me saying “just pretend that everyone is your brother!” And I was like “oh yeah okay cool,” and I just sprinted and I won the race! Thanks to mom for giving me that motivation [laughs].
[laughs] That’s awesome, I love that. So do you have any running goals in the future?
I think I would like to try to get back to the long distance running that I did in COVID. I would like to beat my 17k “record” if you may. That would be really cool. Maybe I will make that my goal now that I’ve had this conversation. I’ll make it happen.
Where do you normally like to run?
We have this great track actually that’s just about 50 meters up the road. There’s botanical gardens just up the street, and the track around that is great. It’s about a 4k track. I hate running on the roads. I live in a city and I like to keep to tracks. There’s a park lake that’s a good 5k around the lake with good views of the city. I like to go there. I also like to run… it’s about a 6k-er… along the river that’s by my house. I do a loop and run on the city side on the way back.
That sounds nice.
Yeah, it’s a good spot.
Do you have any favorite running gear?
Oh, I feel like I’m so old school with my running attire. I still hold my phone in my hand. I don’t have ear pods or any of the funky stuff. I’ve got the old-school, normal Apple earphones. Every Christmas I get new exercise gear from my dad and his wife. They’re really into fitness. She’s a group fitness instructor at a gym, and my dad works in the gym industry as well. I get like a new pair of leggings and crop tops each year so that’s really nice when you get some new stuff and you’re like cool I can’t wait to start working out again.
Any advice for beginners who are thinking about getting into running? What would you say to them?
I would say to go at your own pace and trust the journey. I mean, if you get out there and start running bloody 10k’s that’s great but just like keep the pressure off. I always like to stay at a slow pace the whole time and just run for as long as I can. Again, trust the journey. It will get better. It will get easier. Don’t give up!
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Last month, Romero opened up for NYC’s Parquet Courts at a show in Melbourne, and later this summer (er… winter?), they will hunker down to work on tracks for the next record before they head out on a European tour this Fall. And if all things go well, they’ll play some shows in the US in 2023.
Turn It On! is out now via Cool Death Records & Feel It Records. You can check out Romero’s music here, and keep an eye out for new tour dates and shows. In the meantime, be sure to follow the Running On Nothing Spotify Playlist here. And why not subscribe, eh?