# RIP ROOM Releases ‘Complication’, Signs with Spartan Records

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/rip-room-releases-complication-signs-with-spartan-records/
- Published: 2021-11-12T14:30:17-06:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

**San Francisco, CA’s Rip Room Signs with Spartan Records **

**Band Reuniting with Engineer Tim Green (Melvins, Bikini Kill, Sebadoh) On New 
Album ‘Alight and Resound’, To Be Released This Spring **

**Download The Free Song “Complication”   **

[**Free Download**](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=1825885.4445.1.55ecd2c07740a697fa749c24525e3b32)

Download the FREE Single “Complication” HERE: [https://spr.tn/complication](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=1825885.4446.1.86b52c306f10a8b3ef4ee4c84b58cc2b)

**Upcoming show:** 
Saturday, November 13 Oakland, CA @ The Golden Bull Kowloon 
Walled City Piecework Record Release Show

In a time of digital polish and studio patchwork, it has become increasingly rare
to hear a record that captures the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics of a live performance.
Music continues to fill our queues, but it feels less and less human, so when a 
record breaks through the static, it can be a revelation. From San Francisco, Rip
Room has emerged with a 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. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.

![photo1 72dpi](https://i0.wp.com/cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/2822/3942/
original/photo1_72dpi.jpg?resize=538%2C358&ssl=1)

“I wanted to be in a fun, high-energy band, but with a math-y, prog edge,” says 
vocalist/guitarist John 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’.”

After successfully self-releasing and touring on two EPs (Self-Titled; Monsters)
Rip Room returned to Louder Studios to reunite with storied engineer Tim Green (
Melvins, Bikini Kill, Sebadoh). “The remoteness of Louder Studios is really conducive
to making a record. Like a short summer camp for punks,” says Reed. “Tim has a calming
effect that really elicits great performances in what can be a stressful process.
While for the most part he just lets bands do their thing, he’s contributed some
of my favorite moments to every recording I’ve ever done with him.” In addition 
to dialing in the three-piece’s own dynamic instrumentation, Green also contributed
some less canonical sounds and recording approaches, namely synths and stylophone,
car fender clanking, and skilled tape manipulation. It is in the amalgamation of
these types of individual moments that transforms the record from a casual listen
to a layered experience.

Thematically, while instrumentally effervescent, Alight and Resound delves into 
some more turbulent lyrical waters. Loneliness, chaos, despair, and struggle — yet
somehow with a glimmer of hope. “The title of the record is a lyric from the song‘
Get On In The World,’ which is in part about frustration and not really fitting 
in,” says Reed. “Everyone’s focused or too wrapped up in their own shit and sadly
this too often devolves into misunderstandings, at best, and violence, at worst.
Alight and Resound is like a plea — move to a different plane of understanding and
empathy or else we’re fucked.”

Thriving in the Bay Area is no simple task for a band in these times. As competition
grows, venues close, and rents continue to rise, the desire for authenticity in 
art will only increase. Alight and Resound is a testament to the power of seeking
brashness over banality. There is perceptible life and light in the recordings that
grow with each listen, and the authenticity of the experience is both palpable and
revitalizing.

[https://riproom.com](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=1825885.4447.1.f90f052ce531c1c25ec3d4699880bb6b)

[https://www.facebook.com/riproomband](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=1825885.4448.1.35ad55934a733dc5640346124995a1df)
[https://www.instagram.com/riproom](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=1825885.4449.1.8c34acb26e1b0621e41c7c32af49c657)

![Screen Shot 2021-06-24 at 10.00.15 AM](https://i0.wp.com/cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/
2551/3122/original/Screen_Shot_2021-06-24_at_10.00.15_AM.png?w=1290&ssl=1)

[www.spartanrecords.com](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=1825885.4450.1.668a5d1a818044aa1b7e58f7ab3843f8)

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