
Artist: Rotersand
Album: Don’t become the thing you hated
Genre: Future Pop / Dark Electronic / Techno / Trance
Release Date: 8th August 2025
Label: Trisol Music Group / Metropolis Record
Album Review
This is the 8th album of ROTERSAND since their foundation in 2002. Right from the beginning the band always understood to blend perfectly great danceable tracks with a social-political attitude, not in a Punk-Rock way criticising the system but more on the personal level of the individual. Of course, it is easy to shout “F*ck the system”, but ROTERSAND always scrutinise in their lyrics what the current social-political situation has to do with us, how we respond to it as individual, in social groups and society. Of course, you can dance your socks off especially at their live shows but you also get food for your brain with the lyrics that make you ponder.
Many albums start with a banger especially of those bands which are notable for producing great dance tracks. Instead, the opener of this album starts with some quiet tunes. Piano tunes underline the sombre lyrics performed with the slightly hoarse recognisable voice of Rascal. Is it a sad story about a relationship that ended or a phase in one’s life? The song could have ended that “simple” as it started with just the piano but there is a surprise in the bag when more and more electronic elements blend in and head to a crescendo while the piano melody fades slowly under the electronic sound until it appears solo again with the final words.
The next song is definitely a more danceable track about staying positive despite the hardship in life by embracing also the pain and the feelings that come with it (“…dancing with your fears. Not afraid to feel.”) - ‘Father ocean’ is a complaint to how humans litter our important source of all living. packed in an up-tempo soundscape. The tempo doesn’t slow down with the following track reflecting the loneliness of the individual person being endangered to be seduced by false promises which could be political or on daily base with social networks.
Next song has more the character of a ballad, quite pop like - quite eighties. It might address a relationship between lovers or friends lyrically - the balance of being there for each other and about empathy and caring for each other. The tempo goes up again with song number seven and a plea to still believe in yourself even when life drags you down - a song of empowerment. Despite the cheerful melody of the next song which makes you tap your feet the lyrics are quite clearly the opposite about a loss of a relationship. The vocoder part in this song reminded me strongly of E.L.O. back in the early eighties (oh well, I’m that old), a stylistic device this band often used.
‘Heaven’ is asking for to be shown a different and ideal world as opposite to the reality we are facing (nowadays). It’s quite a Pop like buoyantly melody without being bland or superficial. Track nine is one of the already issued single making a case for consciously slowing down in this fast-paced times (“...Compress - inhale…”). Despite the plea the sound is underlaid with powerful driving beats made for the dance floor.
Also, the following song is an already released single and of course it’s another dance track. With cold hard beats it underlines the disappointment of the delusion the computer world with the www gives us. ‘16 devils (Hell deep down)’ continues with the up-tempo beats describing the calamity of antipodes. When there is the lack of willingness to find commonness. With the powerful beats I could see another potential single track.
The next song reminds me very much of Post Punk / EBM songs of the eighties with references to the style of FRONT 242 lamenting the phenomenon of the influence and opinion making of the social media. Second to last comes along with less harsher beats but more melodious Pop like tunes. The last song ‘Train’ - the postlude - with the sound of a train underlaid the first tunes is a request to return to real life and its challenges. A song that leaves you contemplating when it’s finished.
Once again, a solid album by ROTERSAND with their core skill of blending great tunes and soundscapes with elaborate lyrics addressing (social-political) problems and challenges but not with a wagging finger and without giving the ultimate solution. Always a bit gloomy but never without a hint of hope. In my perception it has a bit more Pop like tunes than its predecessor. The album title is a call to reflect yourself - your thoughts, your attitude, your actions when it’s about the things, actions and people we oppose.
The album is available as standard version, as well as download version.
Tracklist
01. All tomorrows
02. Higher ground
03. Father ocean
04. Watch me
05. I will find you
06. Don’t stop believing
07. It was night
08. Heaven
09. Sexiness of slow
10. Private firmament (I fell for you)
11. 16 devils (Hell deep down)
12. Click scroll tap believe
13. Forgotten daydreams (They live at night)
14. Train
Line-up
Rascal Nikov
Krishan Jan- Eric Wesenberg
Website
https://rotersand.net / https://www.facebook.com/rotersand
Cover Picture

Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 9
Total: 8.5 / 10