Roseburg is back in the spotlight with their latest EP, “2 in a Million”. This release marks a significant chapter in their musical journey, focusing on second chances and the power to start afresh. They released this EP alongside the single “Good Morning”, and the releases act as the follow-up to their previous single “Sun Sick”.
Comprising Zach Knell, Samuel Sheppard (YesterKid), Keith Lambson (Dryggs), and Soren Buchert, Roseburg was formed in the quaint town of Roseburg, Oregon, but they now reside in Utah. The story of their musical venture began when Knell and Sheppard crossed paths while serving as missionaries in the same town. Their chance meeting led to the creation of the band’s second single, “Identity Prices”. For the remainder of their service, they continued to communicate through handwritten letters (mission rules), paving the way for their post-mission band plans.
Following their return home, Roseburg solidified their distinctive sound, crafting an adrenaline-fueled alternative rock identity. Their journey faced a challenging hiatus when the pandemic disrupted their plans, including a nationwide tour to promote their debut album. However, their resilience shone through with the release of “Alice” last year, propelling them back into the music scene.
Their recently released EP, “2 in a Million” delves into personal and intimate narratives. The EP represents a marked departure from the expansive themes found in their debut album, opting instead for a more relaxed and organically-crafted soft-rock sound that carries a subtle but delightful undertone of nostalgia reminiscent of the early ’00s pop-punk era. This shift in musical direction serves as a testament to Roseburg’s artistic evolution and showcases their ability to explore a more intimate and introspective musical landscape.
Talking about the EP, Knell mentioned, “It’s a record of our story, as a band, and our little community we’ve built around it. And how we are so grateful that after all of that, we are back together again with the people we love, doing the thing we love.”
Kickstarting the EP off is the focus track, “Good Morning”, which serves as a poignant and heartfelt response to the concluding track on their previous album, “Goodnight Punk”. This beautifully composed song embodies a profound sense of thankfulness as it narrates the experience of awakening in a peaceful setting after a challenging and arduous night, surrounded by friends and family. The song is bright and joyous with an uplifting soft-rock indie sound that is rhythmically addicting. It effortlessly underscores the band’s ability to convey deep emotions through their music.
“Sun Sick” follows next which flows the rhythmic tune that ended the last track into the opening of this one. The track touches on challenges that they’ve faced in their career with a relatable overtone due to the pandemic and how that was difficult for everyone, but especially people in the creative world including singers, songwriters, and bands. This leads perfectly into “See You Never”, a track that sees the band bring a harder edge to their indie-rock with incredible vocals and catchy lyrics that wrap around the melody. This track is a stand-out on the EP, truly allowing the band to shine and bring their energy – which is set to blaze on any stage, when they perform this track.
The fourth track on the EP is “Alice” – the song that they dropped after their hiatus due to the pandemic. This song has themes of Alice in Wonderland running throughout the lyrics as they keep an unforgettable beat with their indie-rock sound. This is followed by “Flowers” which tones the EP down by starting off with some acoustic guitar chords before various other instruments jump in such as the drums and the keys. The pure indie soft-rock flows soulfully across to the listener as Knell unlocks emotion with his vocals, hitting a falsetto, at times, during the verses, while he adds heart to the chorus.
The EP ends with “Obliviamos”, which Knell explains, conveys their hope to make things work despite external expectations. Vocals start the track off with a subtle acoustic guitar before building the sound around these two elements. Roseburg makes an impact with this last track, full of hopefulness and belief in themselves, they manage to empower their listeners to make us also feel like we can accomplish our goals.
Addicting from start to finish, this new era of Roseburg is a stunning moment and really shows how far this band has come. Roseburg’s music remains modern and polished, garnering over 10 million streams and earning recognition from Spotify editorial playlists, Alternative Press, Earmilk, and Atwood Magazine.
“2 in a Million”, the new EP by Roseburg, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms.
