It’s always felt a bit of a cop-out titling a song “Rock n’ Roll” – although when it works, it really works. Just sit in an American sports stadium for a while, and you’ll be bellowing along with the best of them!
Even better is when it is spelled correctly. All this rock AND roll nonsense… what are we talking about here? A raw, unforgiving, unapologetic teenage rampage? Or a high school grammar test? It’s rock n’ roll, with the emphasis on the ’n. Like cars n‘ girls, leather n’ lace, Guns n’Roses, you know the drill.
And the storming new single from Cleopatra’s resident superstar in waiting Essex has it all, a throbbing bass, a slicing guitar, a raucous vocal and lyrics that are less a song than a series of commandments – “let’s rock n’roll till we die.” Catch the accompanying video and you’ll know what we mean.
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/essex_rocknroll
ESSEX INTERVIEW: https://www.mixcloud.com/CleopatraRecords/pirate-radio-cleopatra-introducing-essex-march-2026/
Essex explains, “’Rock N’ Roll’ is my love letter to the genre itself and to all the artists who inspired me to chase this dream. It’s a thank you to the legends who came before me, and an invitation for a new generation to discover what rock and roll really means.”
“The song is really an anthem of gratitude and hope for rock and roll.”
“Rock N’Roll” is Essex’s third single, following his debut duet with Cherie Currie (The Runaways), “When You’re Young,” back in February; and “Eighties” in May, a storm-tossed cover of the Killing Joke classic.
This time, we’re hearing an Essex original, and it’s an absolute stunner, 3 minutes 45 seconds that remind you exactly what rock n’ roll is supposed to sound like, but which is all too often absent from the scene.
Essex continues, “Everything feels so heavy right now, and I wanted to put something positive into the world instead of adding to the negativity. I wanted people to get up, dance, have a good time, and remember why they fell in love with rock n’roll in the first place.”
Essex certainly remembers that moment, and we can hear it in the song, poised as it is at the precise intersection of Duran Duran’s sleek pulse, Billy Idol’s swagger, and Marc Bolan’s immortal boogie and deathless beauty. Essex’s music draws from a time when guitars and synths hit hard, songs were built to last, and authenticity mattered more than trends, or being flashy and glammy – a bold, uncompromising sound that is custom built for today’s alternative landscape.
And while we stomp our feet and clap our hands to “Rock n’ Roll,” Essex himself is currently at work on his full length debut album, its dark-edged fulled guitars and synths, commanding melodies, and sharp, aggressive bite channeling the raw electricity of the MTV-era ’80s at their peak , even as they charge forward with modern grit and venomous danger. This is music built on volume, emotion, and conviction, hooks you can shout, grooves you can feel, and a presence that refuses to be ignored.
You can catch an early taste of what’s in store when Essex plays L.A.’s Skeleton Key Club on September 15. Don’t miss it!
And that earlier single, “When You’re Young,” makes its physical debut aboard the new Cherie Currie album, The Cleopatra Sessions – available in purple, black and marble vinyl. Order it here.
