Fall From Grace have faced their fair share of adversity, but they conquered it by subscribing to the creed that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And “strong” is a good adjective to describe this album’s sound: part modern rock, part power-pop, part punk, and part hair metal, the conglomeration of elements all prettied up with a polished production that is slicker than K-Y Jelly on a stainless steel pole yet never crosses the line into sugarcoated crassness.
Hooks are the heart and soul of this album; The Romance Years has more hooks than a fishing derby. While Fall From Grace have their own identity, their brand of infectious rock bears more than a passing resemblance to acts like Marvelous 3 and 40 Ft. Ringo. The band is very fond of thick backing harmonies; there haven’t been this many gang vocal “Whoas!” on an album since the ‘80s pop-metal peak. Most of the choruses are designed to be anthems, soaring addictively over the top, the kind of songs you can sing along to before your first listen even ends.