If you were a music loving student at the University of Waikato in the early to mid-1990s, particularly of the live music scene, you will likely remember fondly the Romantic Andes. Active between around 1992 and 1996, they attracted large crowds to their gigs. Larger than most or all other bands at the time because, for the most part, you knew you were going to have a good time dancing to some rather enjoyable, upbeat pop songs. The band released their only album, ‘To Understand the Animals’, in 1994, followed by a later EP, ‘Rocket’, in 1996.
Chatting to one of the members recently, they told me they couldn’t listen to the album anymore. Their face looked pained even at the thought of it. On one hand I could understand. It was a long time ago, and the members were just beginning to learn their craft. But at the same time, I remember listening to it quite a bit following its release. I don’t remember it as being a perfect album; there were songs I remembered I consistently skipped. But I also remembered that there were some genuinely good songs. Some might even say, ‘bangers’. So how do they stand up today, I wondered? Was it now unlistenable? I had to give it another listen…
Okay, so straight off the bat, Track 1 – ‘Happy Hug Song’ – is still a killer. It out-bats The Bats for jangle. It’s upbeat. Gordon Bassett’s production is wonderful. This stands up, and it takes me back to the sticky beer-infused floor of the Wailing Bongo, where I saw the band play many, many times. Can the album keep up this quality? Well, maybe not… there are a lot of tracks between this and the next floor filler, ‘Half a World Away’. That song also possesses all that was good about the band. Another lovely pop song with chiming guitars, bass, drums and… oh, did I mention the cello? That was definitely a point of difference the band had from others at the time (Rumpus Room then did similar for a time, after appearing on the scene around the time of ‘the Andes’ demise). There are some other solid tracks on here. ‘Into the Sun’ was a surprise. It is a downbeat number, and I wouldn’t have remembered it if it weren’t for this relisten. Possibly because it wouldn’t have been one to dance to, but rather one that gave some time to refill the glass. But it’s a good song. The same applies to ‘Part of Me’; it’s not one I remember well, but it’s also a solid song. And ‘Until the End’. That is a great outro to the album, and gives a nod in the direction of what appeared on their later EP. And in retrospect, what a strong, enduring EP those five songs might have made, standing up against most of the music coming out of anywhere in New Zealand at the time.
However, I can also hear a number of songs that perhaps led to the member’s reluctance at giving this a relisten. There are some that are a bit more challenging, and not in the good way. There are some overly ‘funky’ bass lines, and some ‘shouty’ lyrics, neither of which work well for me in 2026. Some of these songs perhaps should not have been recorded at the time, being better left to being shouted along with on the dance floor. But would I want these songs to be lost? No! Even though I feel a number of songs here haven’t stood the test of time, their inclusion still provides an important document of what was probably the best live band from the east-side-of-the-river scene from that time. They take me back and unlock some of those core memories. And with that in mind, I hope the aforementioned member can sit back and appreciate, or at least come to terms with, what these songs gave to so many of us, back in the day. Lots of joy.
