Album Review: Roswell Road - Rebel Joy

 

Roswell Road prise the best parts from mature pop, contemporary country and indie folk to forge a sound unique and elegantly formed. Harmony voices offer one shade, sincere writing another while the ability to shape a song for keen ears carves a body of music to lavishly reward time afforded. Jasmine Watkiss and Zoe Wren drew on experience from different aspects of music to frame an original duo named Rowell eventually upgraded to Roswell Road to avoid online confusion. REBEL JOY rolls out to be an agreeable debut album stocked with ample hooks and key moments aching to have the surface scratched. 

If the crux of album promotion is to have a killer song at hand, Roswell Road achieved this early on with the release of the first promotional track at the back end of 2025. 'Back Row' was full of accessible credentials headed by a catchy melody making it readily detectable in lengthy playlists. The other two songs to appear in the run up offered an alternative dimension to the duo's work including the personally demonstrative 'Weirdo at the Party' written from the perspective of Watkiss but relatable in many quarters. 'Out of the the Dark' which came out in January shows the duo in more explorative mode. 

Watkiss and Wren have put heavy groundwork in place ahead of this landmark moment in the history of Roswell Road. An award winning EP, overseas exposure and plenty of live appearances at flagship events all add to the experience. The stage is now set to reap the benefits in the form of enhanced shows and a package to cement their music in personal collections. 

The standout track away from the promotional numbers is the delightfully enticing 'Arabella' carefully strummed with a sprightly chorus heartily boosting the impact. This is closely followed by boisterously folk influenced 'Bolder', a strong offering built for the stage with crowd participation possibilities. Zoe Wren is the half with the folkier background so therein may lie the inspiration but the permanent thread of a duo in tandem keeps the record intact. Numerous female harmony duos can be drawn in for comparison though there is no harm in holding back and allow the name Roswell Road to breathe and prosper. Album closer 'Postcards' does this perfectly leaving the album still in growth territory as its reasonable forty-minute duration calls time while in credit. 

Some of the songs have been floating around the ether for a while especially 'Holy Mountain' which surfaced a year ago. This fiddle draped song has found the perfect revival role placed as the album's opening track, primed to get things underway. Records are always the better with a progressive inclination and Roswell Road achieve this with 'Island Citizen'. Writing like this blending the head and the heart will find its right home. 

The two remaining songs in this ten-strong collection reside in the centre. 'Can't Take My Soul' goes back to 2024 and this feminist anthem features, like all others, the production input of The Dunwells, an experienced duo known for their music but in this instance for background specialism. 'Let Myself Be Still' has its first outing in a recorded format, another song with a folk coating evoking a calm demeanour. 

REBEL JOY is far from rushed and bristles with a seasoned quality. It shows the clarity of what sets up Jasmine Watkiss and Zoe Wren to make music. Moreover it displays the power of the combo to up the ante. Roswell Road do that and are in possession of a valuable album to gift listeners.