Rock n Roll is a crooning, a captivating piano ballad with an old school feel. The song opens with a grainy piano, much like 1970s Elton John. Truman’s compelling vocals swoon like an old rockstar, commanding the track with full force. His satirical lyrics poke fun at the genre that inspires him, crooning “Rock and Roll is six feet under/And I’m out here stealing its thunder.” Just like Timothy Lanham, we hear Rock ‘n’ Roll and get nostalgic for an era in music that most of us did not get the pleasure of experiencing. 

The piano slowly builds in momentum, until it reaches its sparkling, synthesised crescendo. As ethereal guitars lead the extended instrumental, that in itself reminiscent of the golden oldies. Truman acknowledges the 60’s superstars that inspire him, saying “I can’t get no satisfaction living like a rolling stone.”

Speaking about the track recently, Lanham said that “This song is a tear I’m shedding for the genre of music I’m in the business of making. If I was around in ’73, I’d be a raging success.” Lanham’s statement certainly rings true: Rock ‘n’ Roll plays like an old B-Side from a dusty treasure chest of old vinyl. 

On the 4th August, Lanham also released the accompanying music video to Rock ‘n’ Roll, which was directed by Timothy Heinrich. Posting the music video to his official YouTube channel, the dark, deep red visuals synchronise perfectly with Truman’s smokey vocals. 

Truman stands in an empty room, his scarlet get-up glistening under the disco ball. Twirling slowly, Truman sings romantic lyrics with a dark, edgy twist: “Pull the trigger, and I’ll pull on your heartstrings/If you feel nothing, then there’s no sense in starting.”

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Rock n Roll is 6 feet under, its also out everywhere

A post shared by Timothy Lanham (@timothylanham) on Aug 4, 2020 at 12:17am PDT

Timothy Lanham also took to social media to ring in the release of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Posting to Instagram on the 4th August, the London-based artist posted a snap of himself posing by a vintage keyboard wearing a 60’s inspired outfit. The Vaccines keyboardist captioned the playful photo with “Rock n Roll is 6 feet under, it’s also out everywhere.” 

Born To Be Right, the upcoming EP by Lanham under his T Truman moniker is set for release on the 25th of September. The keenly debut has been co-produced and co-written by Lanham’s longtime friend and collaborator, Geoff Roberts. 

Meanwhile, The Vaccines have recently confirmed that they have completed the recording of their fifth studio album, which will follow 2018 released Combat Sports. The If You Wanna hitmakers also revealed that next year is the 10th anniversary of their defining album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? for which they have big plans to celebrate.

Rock ‘n’ Roll is out now.