Last summer, Berlin hardcore outfit R.O.S.A. introduced itself to No Echo readers with three songs drawn from the genre's darker, more metallic corners. Since then, the four-piece has kept busy playing shows, developing its sound, and putting together its debut album, No Peace for You.
The past year has also brought some changes. Vocalist Hassan Haider relocated to Paris, while R.O.S.A. shared stages with Ritual, True Gloom, Neander, and Eaten by Snakes, including a show in Bielefeld, the former hometown of Haider and guitarist Jörg W. The past year has been good to us,” Haider says.
R.O.S.A.’s members have been involved in bands for years, but making hardcore at this point in their lives comes with a different set of realities. “I'd say the main difference is time. Everyone has their own focus in life now,” Haider explains. “In your mid-20s or early 30s, the band and the music were the center of everything.”
That perspective hasn’t slowed R.O.S.A.’s musical progression. No Peace for You includes new recordings of “Cold Moon,” “Black Noise,” and “Ugly Boys,” but Haider doesn’t necessarily see the updated versions as evidence that the band has finally settled on a definitive sound.
“I think your sound keeps evolving from song to song anyway,” he says. “What did change is that we found a way to create an atmosphere around it, and that we've grown a lot closer as a band.”
That emphasis on atmosphere extends beyond the individual songs. Soundscapes connect portions of No Peace for You, giving the record a continuous quality that originated with the way R.O.S.A. approaches its live performances. “We play it more or less exactly the way it is on the record,” Haider explains. “It was just important to us to create transitions and to plan the set as a whole, instead of making an announcement after every second song.”
Lyrically, No Peace for You avoids spelling everything out. Haider describes the songs as dealing with everyday subjects in a fragmented manner, deliberately leaving space for listeners to arrive at their own interpretations.
One example is “Fragile Power,” which touches on ideals, desperation, and what can exist beneath outward displays of strength. “The lyrics are less direct and leave room for interpretation, so every listener can form their own meaning,” he says.
As for where R.O.S.A. belongs within Berlin’s current hardcore landscape, Haider isn’t particularly concerned with finding a precise category for the band. Its foundation remains DIY hardcore, while the members’ backgrounds continue to pull the music in other directions. Jörg, for example, has played in black metal bands and currently fills in on guitar for KRYK.
“That's probably exactly where we sit — somewhere between hardcore and a touch of metal,” Haider says.
R.O.S.A. is also encouraged by what’s happening elsewhere in German Hardcore, with Haider pointing specifically to Hamburg’s Glower and Bielefeld’s Sabotage as newer bands worth checking out.
For now, the focus is on getting No Peace for You out into the world and taking the band on the road. R.O.S.A. will embark on its first German tour in October, with plans beyond that still taking shape.
“We're definitely looking forward to next year,” Haider says, “and curious to see how the album lands between now and then.”
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No Peace for You is available on vinyl via This Charming Man Records.
R.O.S.A. on social media: Instagram
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