San Francisco trio Rip Room play a meandering art-punk style that’s forceful but equally unpredictable, largely built around bass licks and rhythm switches that give it an off-kilter dance vibe complemented by some angular guitar riffs that serve more as accent than lead. Musically I hear a good chunk of early post-punk meets math rock, but simplified into a 3-piece with a skeletal rather than wall of sound approach. At different points I find myself thinking of Dead Milkmen (it’s the voice), Sonic Youth, and the Kill Rock Stars roster. The press release fittingly shouts out Unwound and Sleater-Kinney too.
Alight and Resound features 12-songs and while that lead bass and John Reed’s timbre remain pretty steady throughout, each song has a unique vibe as the record twist and turns, taking us around sudden bends like a crashing river before it finally lets out into the sea with the nautically named “Abandon Ship!” at the close. The general sound is equally explorative and caffeinated. It can’t sit in one place, but it also keeps itself on track just enough that it never gets totally lost either. The sing-song choruses and occasional call and response vocals give a sense of familiarity and home throughout the journey.
A few personal favorites include “Worth Repeating,” “Second To None,” the aforementioned “Abandon Ship!” and “Dead When It Started,” which uses staccato guitars with back and forth energy that slowly builds up energy until a big breakdown. This song, and a few others, has a little more defined structure and I seem to enjoy those more than the entirely bass-led songs, but everything is pretty enjoyable.
The band previously released two EPs, with this as their first full-length. This is a good start and I’m curious to see how they grow.
