Rip Room - "Worth Repeating"

Rip Room's previous single combined a punch of punk sounds into one new but familiar cohesive punk sound, and their new one continues that, but with different sounds. "Worth Repeating" sounds like early, noisier The Dismemberment Plan with the bass groove of Geffen-era Sonic Youth, the intensity and out of control feeling of Rites of Spring, and the thrash of Bay area metal. "Worth Repeating" is an intense song that is going to sound gloriously familiar to some of us while still plowing straight at you at near top speed. This is intense, disjointed punk that is still an enjoyable listen.

John Reed (vocals/guitar) says of the band's new song and video:

"Shot in the midst of the pandemic, we found ourselves in a clandestine location with a rough plan and more than a few worries. The song is about the world falling apart, so it felt right to shoot in the woods — ominous and sinister, but maybe the safest place to be. By the end of a long evening, our director (and dear friend Josh Johnson) had captured the weird energy that had been following us the past year and, in retrospect, shooting the video provided some much-needed momentum during a dark time.”

You can watch the video for "Worth Repeating" below. Alight and Resound is due out May 27 on Spartan Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Rip Room, check out the band's website.

Rip Room - "Complication"

San Francisco's Rip Room make art punk that just straight up rocks. The band's new single, "Complication," is an amalgam of a bunch of your favorite classic punk sounds and bands. There's the post punk of Gang of Four, the buzzing guitars of Dead Kennedys, the bouncy New Wave goes almost pop of Talking Heads and B-52s, and even some of the noise of Sonic Youth. It's this wonderfully odd mesh of sounds that works great together into a song that is as furious as it is pop adjacent. It sounds like punk made for adults who are still angry at the world but don't have the energy to be mad all the time.

Vocalist/guitarist John Reed says of the new song:

“'Complication' is about the failure of society to do meaningful things, and the lack of imagination that's doomed humanity to repeat the same mistakes over and over. Why isn't there equitable treatment of all people? Why is there still war? Why can't the richest country in the history of the world provide healthcare for all of its citizens? So many questions with seemingly the same answer from our so-called leaders: it's complicated."

You can listen to "Complication" below. Alight and Resound is due out May 27 on Spartan Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Rip Room, check out the band's website.