Rixton is a four-member pop music boy band that formed in 2012 in Manchester, England. The members include lead singer Jake Roche, bass player Danny Wilkin, drummer Lewi Morgan and guitarist Charley Bagnall.

The band has stuck firmly within the realms of the pop and R&B genres since their formation; their music varying between bubblegum pop and acoustic melodies. Though they had been releasing music since the beginning of 2013, they shot into stardom in summer of 2014 with their hit song “Me and My Broken Heart”. The song seemed to have been played on the radio on a constant loop, charting it’s peak at #14 in US, and #1 in the UK.

On Mar. 3, they released their first studio album entitled “Let the Road”. Overall, the songs on the album are hit-and-miss. The highlight songs of the album include “Me and My Broken Heart”, the song that earned them their fame,

“Speakerphone” and “Hotel Ceiling” which were by far the best songs on the album. The rest of the songs on the album are by no means bad, but forgettable.

The other songs have no catchy beat or hook lyrics that will make my finger, or the other listeners, reach for repeat. “Speakerphone” was one of my favorites from the album, a mostly-acoustic love song that is perfect to sway to.

“Hotel Ceiling” is sandwiched as the sixth song on the ten-song album and is a magnificent blend of a meaningful song of heartbreak and a pop song. It starts off with just a piano, fading gracefully into a blend of instruments, catching the listener’s attention immediately.

The lyrics are intriguing, the second verse saying “on the TV they had reported you dead”. Those don’t sound much like the beginning to an R&B pop song, I know, which is partly why the song is so great. The lyrics convey a story of heartbreak and mystery, both of which are perfectly portrayed in the video.

Rixton, formerly known as the Relics, are also notorious for having great music videos. Whether hilarious spoofs, such as “Makeout”, or telling the story of a troubled relationship, like “Hotel Ceiling”, they’re incredibly entertaining and add to the overall fun of their music. Their most popular music video, “Me and My Broken Heart” currently has well over 52 million views.

The second most popular video of theirs is “Wait on Me”, which has 5 million views. Most popular artists and bands use nudity and general controversy to have their videos become popular, when Rixton accomplishes that success with actual quality video-making aimed towards their target audience.

Rixton is a different kind of British boy-band; they are fun, fresh and edgy. “Let the Road” isn’t a great debut album, but the few gems hidden in it make it worth a listen.