ROMES is a Canadian alternative rock duo from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

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made up of brothers Jacob and Nicolas Bitove.

History

ROMES was formed in 2016, composed of Canadian brothers Jacob and Nicolas Bitove, along with Irish friends James Tebbitt and Andrew Keyes. The four original members of ROMES all met while attending school in

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...

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before relocating to Jacob and Nicolas's hometown of Toronto. James and Andrew left the group amicably in 2020, as per an official statement on ROMES' Facebook page. ROMES released their debut EP titled ''BELIEVE'' on April 8, 2016 and later released their debut, self-titled full-length studio album ''ROMES'' on October 6, 2017 via

Five Seven Music Five Seven Music is the alternative/indie sub-label under The Eleven Seven Music Group. Five Seven Music launched with Jet's Shaka Rock in 2009 followed by She Wants Revenge's Valleyheart in 2011. The label has rapidly grown since and has also ...

. Both the EP and album were produced and mixed by acclaimed,

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated L.A. producer Tony Hoffer (

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

, M83, Phoenix, The Kooks). The band made their U.S. major festival debut at Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 6, 2017 while on a 34 date U.S. tour supporting Mutemath. The band has also supported artists including The Strokes, Silversun Pickups, and COIN. In January 2017, ROMES were selected by Alternative Press as one of their 'Artists to Watch in 2017'. The band has since released a collection of singles independently, including ''Lose My Cool'', a collaboration with Foster The People's Mark Foster, and their self-produced EP ''My Demons Are My Best Friends'', released in 2021, featured by Rolling Stone Mexico.

Acclaim

In September 2017, ROMES was selected by Rogers Communications Canada as their "Artist to Watch". The following month, Bell Media,

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Canada and Virgin Radio Canada chose the band as their Emerging Artist. On the day of ROMES' EP release, Paul Lester selected the band as The Guardian's "New Band of the Week" saying, “The four tracks on their EP virtually knock you down with their brio and self-belief…Surrounded by swirling synths and ebullient percussion, ROMES sound giddy with possibility." ROMES debuted their first music video for title track
BELIEVE
on

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

, part of Vice Magazine, who stated “’Believe’ is an indie-pop anthem replete with layers of unexpected percussion and rippling synths. Upon the release of ROMES' debut EP, the band received praise from superstar artist

Hozier Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier ( ), is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes. He had his interna ...

who endorsed their EP saying "So thrilled ROMES have released their debut EP. First releases are rarely this strong.". The band was selected as The Irish Times' 'New Artist of the Week'.

Features

ROMES' 2020 single "Lose My Cool" is used as the theme song for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Kim's Convenience spin-off sitcom 'Strays' Their 2020 single "All The Time" was licensed for

Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Februar ...

's Global October 2021 campaign, HBO Max shows Genera+ion and The Sex Lives of College Girls, and feature film Press Play. "Believe" featured in EA Sports Madden NFL 17 and was licensed by Turner Broadcasting to soundtrack NBA on TNT's NBA Playoffs coverage. Their song "When The Night Comes" was featured during the MLB All-Star game broadcast on Fox Sports on July 11, 2017. "Tryna Be" was featured in Georgetown University's national TV campaign.

History

Acclaim

Features

Discography

Extended plays

Albums

Single releases

Music videos

References