Roses Are Red – “Conversations”

Roses Are Red’s Conversations stands as the premier album from a band that, despite their talent, somehow slipped through the cracks of the 2000s emo scene. While their peers found wider audiences, Roses Are Red remained more of a cult favorite, remembered fondly by those who stumbled across their work but never breaking into the mainstream.

The album opens with urgency, establishing the band’s knack for emotionally charged choruses and earnest instrumentation. “White and Gold” is one of the true highlights, featuring a memorable pick slide intro and sharp guitar work that immediately hooks the listener. It’s the kind of song that could have easily slotted into bigger emo compilations of the time, but instead sits as a hidden gem in the band’s catalog.

“Oceans” is another standout, particularly because of its strong drum performance. The rhythm section carries the track forward with a sense of energy and weight, adding dynamics to a record that thrives on its emotional peaks. The way the drums lock in with the guitars makes this one of the more memorable moments of Conversations.

Meanwhile, “300 Motion Pictures” showcases Roses Are Red’s ability to pair lyrical longing with big, soaring melodies. It’s the kind of track that feels tailor-made for sweaty, crowded venues, where a few hundred voices could belt the chorus back to the band. Songs like this explain why Roses Are Red, though overlooked, still hold a place in the hearts of mid-2000s emo fans.

But Conversations isn’t without its flaws. The production often holds the record back, with certain tracks sounding noticeably low-budget. This issue would be corrected on their follow-up, What Became of Me, where the band enlisted veteran producer Brian McTernan to give their songs more polish and power. On Conversations, however, the rawness sometimes translates to thinness rather than grit.

Lyrically, the band can also fall into familiar emo tropes. At times, the words feel too predictable, leaning on clichés rather than pushing the emotional depth that their instrumentation hints at. While these moments don’t completely derail the album, they keep it from standing alongside the best of its peers in the scene.

That said, Conversations was still a significant leap forward from Roses Are Red’s debut, Handshakes and Heartbreaks. Where that album felt more like a starting point, Conversations delivered a tighter, more confident version of the band, showing clear growth and potential.

Ultimately, Conversations is a record of missed opportunities and small victories. It has enough standout songs to remain worth revisiting, even if its flaws prevent it from being a genre classic. For a band that never quite got their due, this album serves as both a time capsule of mid-2000s emo and a reminder of just how many strong records from that era slipped through the cracks.

For Fans Of:

• Armor for Sleep – What to Do When You Are Dead

• Hidden in Plain View – Life in Dreaming

• Spitalfield – Stop Doing Bad Things