San Francisco art punk band Rip Room have aired the video for their latest single “Dead When It Started“.
The trac features on their debut full-length album ‘Alight and Resound‘, released back in May through Spartan Records. Buy your copy here.
Commenting on the track, singer-guitarist John Reed said:
“Dead When It Started” is a good intro to Rip Room for the uninitiated: it’s an indictment disguised as a dance song. If the height of human interaction is the sum of our institutions plus the current state of social media, then our ability to solve real problems quickly approaches zero. The system is rigged! And worse, our tools for communication are essentially games that demand our attention and little else (and if it’s not clear, I count myself among the implicated here). Contrary to the lyrics, the tune is super fun! It’s maybe the most accessible song on the record, which makes the disconnect from the lyrics a bit cheeky. I remember the main riff sort of materialized out of thin air, and aside from the proggy breaks, it’s basic pop. That’s Gracie pounding on a car fender with a hammer before the outro, and there’s a ton of the Bass Rhodes on this track which makes it extra beefy.”
Watch the Helen Young-directed video below.
RIP ROOM is John Reed – Vocals/Guitar, Sarah Mckinney – Bass/Vocals and Gracie Malley – Drums
After successfully self-releasing and touring on two EPs, the three-piece returned to Louder Studios in Grass Valley, CA to reunite with storied engineer Tim Green (Nation of Ulysses, Melvins, Bikini Kill, Sebadoh). The result is the charismatic and alluringly unpredictable debut full-length record, ‘Alight and Resound’, twelve pulsing songs that harken back to better musical times while somehow embracing the relevance of the moment. Think Unwound, Sleater-Kinney, and Fugazi. Propulsive rhythms and piercing lyrics, but with a sense of buoyancy. Brashness over banality. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.
“I wanted to be in a fun, high-energy band, but with a math-y, prog edge,” says Reed. “We’re always looking to capture our live sound, and with this record, we wanted that plus a little more to emphasize some ideas or sonic feelings,” adds bassist/vocalist Sarah McKinney. “The subject matter is pretty heavy, but the execution is sometimes a bit more lighthearted and dance-y which I think balances it out well. Our sound was once described as ‘dance music for people who don’t like to dance,’ which I don’t agree with — I’d say it’s ‘dance music for people who like to dance but are also bummed out’.”
