The Room - Broken
Binding a broad range of musical influences into a distinct and nostalgic sound, smart songwriting and captivating melodies form the foundation of The Room’s musical core. ‘Broken’ proves no exception, but don’t let it’s bright, foot-tapping, major-key guitar riffing fool you - there’s more to the single than meets the eye…
“I had to think long and hard about how ‘Broken’ was to be approached,” explains vocalist Martin Wilson. “I’d always wanted to play with the idea that most problems people have are brought on by themselves; Wrong life decisions, bad investments, excessive drink and drugs abuse, mistreatment of others and so on. Often, I have found that people in these positions are the first to complain, but the last to admit fault.”
“With ‘Broken’, the instrumental backdrop is uplifting, with this jaunty feel to it, but I wanted to find something different - a juxtaposition, if you like - to the lyrics, adding a little more intrigue to the song. So we’ve got this upbeat instrumental backing, while the lyrics offer a slightly darker picture. Spiralling out of control because of one’s own actions, how life can crash over negativity you’ve brought on yourself and so on...and yet you still complain and pass blame.”
The Room unashamedly admits that they wrote “Broken” as something of a challenge to themselves. All too aware of the modern specifics of genre definition, the band hoped to be able to break prog traditions, writing a three-minute, mainstream song that would merge the great melodies and broad choruses of prog, whilst remaining radio-friendly and accessible.
Despite the strong narrative of ‘Broken’, The Room recognised the bounce and drive of the single and wanted to bring this to life even more with a quirky, fun music video, shot at the 2018 Cambridge Rock Festival by MHG Music Videos.
