Taking elements from indie, shoegaze, pop and rock, Coming Up Roses have a rich sound that is often pleasingly varied. Although various musical influences can be heard within the UK band’s work, they use those in a way that is often interesting – and on their ‘I’m In Bed’ single (released in the early part of 2025), they sounded like no-one else. Further singles ‘Tired’ and ‘Over My Head’ cemented any feelings that Coming Up Roses were a band on the rise, and their full length album ‘How Did We Fall So Far?’ (released in June ’25) showed how the band weren’t just suited to soundbites; their best songs have a rich quality, playing brilliantly as part of a longer format.
In a world of short attention spans, though, Coming Up Roses obviously stand a much better chance of attracting new fans via the streamers and the digital “singles” market. With this in mind, two of the album’s highlights ‘Gotta Lose It All’ and ‘Hello Miss Anxiety’ were chosen for further promotion, and make an excellent pairing. Both numbers have a huge melodic core, but actually play to different strengths.
The more retro of the two, ‘Gotta Lose It All’ centres around a warm bass and crisp guitar sound. In places, the riffs have a tone that calls back to ‘Seventeen Seconds’ era Cure and, at least musically, parts of the music have a light, gothy air that feels quite 80s. The verses show off a really tight rhythm and a strong vocal cry, but its when hitting the chorus that Coming Up Roses come into their own. Cranking the guitars, everything shifts very naturally into a world of melodic alternative rock, allowing for Emily Sera’s voice to soar above a chunky guitar. The tougher edge also provides a superb climax when the guitar work builds a wall of sound with a superb multi-tracked tone beneath a brilliant vocal hook, but it’s the number’s middle eight that really stands out. For the briefest of moments before the tougher edge drives this number to glory, the music falls away, leaving Emily’s high toned vocal to take centre stage, and with a soft, dream pop-like sensibility, she bridges the more dominant elements of the track with a genuine sensitivity. If this track happens to be your first exposure to this band, it’s the almost perfect place to dive in.
‘Hello Miss Anxiety’, by contrast, is rockier. Opening with muted guitar lines, the track immediately signifies something a little more alternative, and the way the chopping rhythm works in tandem with a great vocal builds tension in a very natural way. Then, exploding into a great chorus where the vocal melody appears to dart back and forth above a guitar sound that mirrors the close of ‘Gotta Lose It All’, Coming Up Roses share something that sounds ideal for rousing a live audience. With influences from Paramore, Wolf Alice and a touch of 80s goth, again, slipping into the lead guitar work, there’s a real confidence driving the track, and although Emily is occasionally in danger of hogging the spotlight, the whole band sounds superb.
As further promotion for an enjoyable LP, this double A-side single works brilliantly as a device for attracting new ears. With both tracks being suitably different from each other, it’s virtually impossible to pick a favourite. It is fair to say, however, that if either should grab you at all, then the full album is certainly worth investigating. In an increasingly digital world where the arrival of new music can seem relentless, the Coming Up Roses sound is strong enough to stand out, and with their ‘How Did We Fall So Far?’ offering a filler free experience – it’s not always easy to transition from making EPs to full length albums – they’re definitely one of the year’s brightest lights within a very busy underground rock scene.
August 2025