Review
Ninja Gun
Roman Nose

Sabot Productions (2011) Loren

Ninja Gun – Roman Nose cover artwork
Ninja Gun – Roman Nose — Sabot Productions, 2011

Ninja Gun draws from a lot of sources, playing in the Suburban Home-style market of alt country derived from obtuse punk influences. They tend to eschew chord progressions in favor of soft music and easy articulation built from the steady, honest delivery of their frontman Johnathan Coody. Roman Nose is their latest EP, this one coming from Sabot Productions.

Ninja Gun’s style is mellow and maybe a little coy. The band draws from country, but their delivery and dominant sound are more steeped in power pop, with the country influence honing the lyrical tone and the somber, reflective atmosphere while the music is more ethereal with a touch of Southern eeriness at its backdrop. Coody keeps the mood steady, never bursting into angry aggression or sorrowful misery, but walking a calm line down the middle. If there is a fault, it’s that Coody’s delivery is so even keel that it can lull the listener at times, without the dynamics to push forth a more positive energy. For a band with two guitars, this record is surprisingly calm throughout. The music is collected, with layered acoustic guitars and careful arrangements that maintain an emotional gray area. “That’s Not What I Heard” utilizes a first person perspective with soothing background vocals, but the even keel nature distances the first-person perspective and the focus remains on the feel rather than the lyrics. It’s got a repetitive, singalong structure combined with a country lament, and the balance falls right in the middle between the two styles. In its follow-up, “Hot Rain,” Coody drawls a little louder, dropping his pitch to a more forceful delivery to carry over the louder guitars and drums, utilizing a ‘70s rock structure that builds to a climax in just over three minutes. Despite the big ‘70s rock influence, the song never fully rocks out, instead keeping its austere manner.

On Side B, Coody’s vocals remain at the forefront. This time, there’s a power pop feel with big guitar crunch at the chorus, but emotive heart-on-sleeve crooning on the verse levels. The middle two songs offer the most sonic variance, but the titular “Roman Nose,” is the most memorable track on the EP, and it hints that Ninja Gun’s next full-length will be wide-reaching in its scope. It takes a Southern gothic guitar and a sorrowful tone that relies on descriptive imagery to leave on something of a depressing note.

Ninja Gun hail from rural Georgia and they embrace their roots, drawing from an isolated, open setting and incorporating that into their sound, and utilizing descriptive imagery to establish such a tone. It should appeal to fans of power pop and alt country equally.

This is music for a slower pace, sitting on the porch at sunset, playing this soundtrack just over the chirping of the crickets as opposed to blaring over headphones on a loud city bus.

6.4 / 10Loren • May 23, 2011

Ninja Gun – Roman Nose cover artwork
Ninja Gun – Roman Nose — Sabot Productions, 2011

Related news

Ninja Gun Release New Video

Posted in Videos on April 20, 2011

Ninja Gun Offer New EP For Free

Posted in Records on April 12, 2011

Ninja Gun Release Two Singles

Posted in Bands on April 6, 2011

Recently-posted album reviews

Between the Buried and Me

The Blue Nowhere
Inside Out (2025)

Between The Buried And Me are seasoned vets to the progressive metalcore, electronic, prog (whatever other genre they bend) scene and continue to drop album after album. Their career started back in 2000 from the ashes of one of the greatest metalcore bands of all time (in my humble opinion), Prayer For Cleansing. As the band has progressed over the … Read more

The Beths

Straight Line Was A Lie
Anti (2025)

Dear Beths, Congratulations on the new release. I’ve been reflecting on our relationship and, as I’ve recently started to write about music again, have been asked to share my thoughts with you. First and foremost, I want to say that this isn’t easy for me. I cherish your album Future Me Hates Me from 2018. The title track alone is … Read more

East End Redemption

Crashing Down
Independent (2025)

Who would’ve thought that from the land of lobsters and blueberries, you’d find a punk band? East End Redemption is a four-piece band that brings their flavor of punk from Portland, Maine to the masses with their eleven song, debut full-length album, Crashing Down. They mix elements of skate punk, power pop, and even hints of hardcore punk. The band … Read more