Roe Knows Best - "Northbound"

Any band or artist who embraces their New Jersey roots is a winner in my book. Be it mainstream mammoths like Springsteen, third-wave emo legends like Saves The Day, or inimitable Taylor Ham enthusiasts like John Cozz, those folks who affectionately incorporate The Garden State into their work, or really just embody the essence of this unique, sprawling landmass in some way, tend to gain my affection rather quickly. Roe O’Brien, who performs under the moniker Roe Knows Best, fits nicely into this lineage, as she takes her New Jersey-specific coming-of-age experiences and translates them into some truly heartfelt, catchy tunes. 

The title track of her brand new EP, Northbound, is a perfect encapsulation of O’Brien’s ‘Jerseyness’ on several levels. It has all the hallmarks of a New Jersey emo classic, including some nice parallels to both Through Being Cool and Can’t Slow Down that’ll get those nostalgia juices flowing. O’Brien sings of putting her foot to the gas and hitting the open road, leaving past selves, memories, and relationships in the rearview mirror - a definite lyrical motif heard on early Saves The Day records. She gets bonus points for specificity, dropping a Route 17 reference and shouting out Bergen County by name, describing that rush of energy that comes with accelerating forward, both literally and figuratively, by moving up and out: “5, 4, 3, 2,1 headlights go out. You better pray to the speedometer! Pushing 80 now. Pedal to the floor, I’m pressin’ Northbound. I’m headed Northbound, yeah!” O’Brien co-produced the record with Ace Enders of The Early November, and “Northbound” in particular has a lot of similar guitar accents to the sounds of that era. They swell in the choruses, but are more subdued in and around the verses, allowing more space for O’Brien’s narrative to play out.

Stream the track below!

You can purchase the entire Northbound EP via Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. Keep up with Roe Knows Best by following the project on Instagram.