The Gaslight Anthem are rankled by constant associations with Bruce Springsteen. Photo / Supplied
The Gaslight Anthem are rankled by constant associations with Bruce Springsteen. Photo / Supplied
The Gaslight Anthem holds its own.
Fed up with Bruce Springsteen comparisons, New Jersey's hippest sons of rock, The Gaslight Anthem, claim to be treading new ground on their latest album.
It's understandable that the four-piece with its gritty guitar, raw vocals and frequent references to its working-class Jersey roots should be likened to The Boss,who's a self-confessed fan of the lads from New Brunswick.
But guitarist Alex Rosamilia admits he's a little rankled by the constant associations.
"I don't think we sound anything like Springsteen. Not that I don't like him, but I don't consider him to be an influence on my music at all."
What's more, Rosamilia's miffed as to why all bands hailing from New Jersey - also famously home to Bon Jovi - are lumped in the same category. "They talk about the 'Jersey Shore Sound'. And there isn't one, at least as far as I'm concerned," he says.
It is for this reason that The Gaslight Anthem were determined to find their own voice on their third album, American Slang.
"It was a little harder to come out with this time around because we weren't trying to base stuff off our influences - we were trying to create our own kind of sound. I think the third album for any band is when they really start to come into their own."
Critics are already praising the album, but whether The Gaslight Anthem have done enough to distance themselves from Springsteen remains to be seen. If not, Rosamilia at least takes comfort in knowing he's got one of America's greatest rockers on side.
"He's who he is, so he doesn't have a whole lot of time to hang out and shoot the shit," Rosamilia says of sharing a stage with Springsteen at last year's Glastonbury Festival.
"But he did talk to us about what life was like when he was younger. He was way more interested, however, to see where we were coming from ..."
*The Gaslight Anthem's third album, American Slang, is released tomorrow.
