Vancouver-based project Rolla’s (the solo endeavor of multi-instrumentalist Vallen Koscheev) delivers a poignant meditation on strained friendships with Not Today Old Friend, released July 1, 2025. The EP showcases Koscheev’s transition from drummer (formerly of Birchenson and softhead) to a formidable frontman, blending math rock’s technicality with emo’s vulnerability across its five tracks.
The centerpiece “Holidays Are Just Around The Corner” epitomizes the EP’s theme of distant connections, its intricate guitar work (channeling influences like Pretend) and rhythmic complexity mirroring the push-pull of maintaining friendships across time zones. Koscheev’s background in noise rock surfaces in the EP’s grittier moments, while electronic textures hint at his experimental ambitions – all anchored by the emotional directness learned from Devon Welsh’s songcraft.
What makes this release compelling is its duality: a drummer’s album that prioritizes melody over percussion, and a technical showcase that never sacrifices raw feeling. With Not Today Old Friend, Rolla’s proves that genre boundaries matter less than emotional truth.
With Not Today Old Friend, Rolla’s delivers a striking fusion of math rock precision and emo vulnerability balancing rhythmic complexity with raw emotional weight.
