MEAN STREET – Never Too Late

Mean Street are Peruvian hard rock / AOR band that were formed in April 2016. Their influences are pure ‘80s hard rock with the likes of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Slaughter, Survivor, Van Halen, and obviously Mötley Crüe. The reason for the latter is because guitarist and vocalist Darío Rovig sounds like young Vince Neil, which is an added bonus. Their first demo single, “Set Me Free,” was released in December 2016 and after much delay, they finally began recording their debut studio album in February 2023. The result is Never Too Late (2025), which the album title ironically references them taking a long time to release a debut album after releasing their first single eight years ago, but better late than never. It was recorded at Huaca Estudio and Elias Ponce Estudio in Lima, Peru; and produced by the band themselves. The record will be released on October 31, 2025 through Good Time Music.

Better Late Than Never

Never Too Late starts off with the first of a few midtempo rockers on the album, “Love Will Bring You Down.” It’s a decent track to give listeners a taste of what the band can do. “Strange Kind of Love” doesn’t have the greatest chorus, but it’s chocked full of melodies and it has a pulsing bass line, courtesy of bassist Charly Giraldo. “I’ll Take the Blame” is another midtempo rocker and a good one, actually. If this were 1986, “I’ll Take the Blame” would be huge with a carefully planned music video for MTV. The band would be front and center intertwined with clips of a beautiful woman in dramatic clouds of smoke.

“Lookin’ for Somethin’” is an absolute banger with pounding drums, a great groove, a piercing guitar riff, a catchy chorus, and the “hey hey” backing vocals during the pre-chorus are genius. The previously mentioned, “Set Me Free,” takes cues from Def Leppard with the perfectly crafted backing vocals, which like “Lookin’ for Somethin,’” are really catchy. “For So Long” has these gorgeous melodies, so gorgeous that it’d be cool to hear an instrumental version of the song. It’s very ‘80s sounding and the majestic keyboards contribute to that effect. “Burning” is borderline metal with its piercing guitar riff and driving beat. Seriously, this is one of those “driving down the highway” songs. Not as fast-paced to cause a speeding ticket, but it’s more ballsy than previous tracks such as “For So Long” and “I’ll Take the Blame.”

Final Assessment

Sonically, Never Too Late sounds incredible. Given the band’s ‘80s hard rock / AOR sound, some gloss and touchups were done when it came to the production, but they didn’t get carried away to the point where it’ll be impossible to play these songs live. Everyone brought their A-game and it’s obvious that these guys love this style of music. Rovig and guitarist Bruno Barboza did their homework and studied ‘80s guitar gods such as Eddie Van Halen, Richie Sambora, John Sykes, and Neal Schon. One minor complaint would be for Rovig to watch his pitch, especially in the higher register. Some of his notes come off as whiny, but rock ‘n’ roll isn’t perfect, so that’s not a totally bad thing. Never Too Late isn’t going to change the ‘80s hard rock / AOR genre, but the music is a lot of fun and makes listeners forget their troubles for 41 minutes. For those who are interested, give Meant Street’s Never Too Late a chance!

Album Tracklist

1. Love Will Bring You Down
2. Strange Kind of Love
3. I’ll Take the Blame
4. Lookin’ for Somethin’
5. Set Me Free
6. For So Long
7. Risky Game
8. Burning

Band Lineup

Darío Rovig – guitars and lead vocals
Mauricio Xnake – drums
Bruno Barboza – guitars and backing vocals
Charly Giraldo – bass guitar and backing vocals

Check out “Lookin’ for Somethin’” from Mean Street’s Never Too Late!