Rose City Band

There could be no better winter warmer than a new record from Rose City Band. The outfit, headed by Ripley Johnson (Moon Duo, Wooden Shjips), has bloomed over the years from a solo endeavor into a five-piece studio stunner that’s grabbed hold of the Cosmic Country reigns. Quite a few have dug into the genre lately, but RCB’s been leading the charge and burrowing deeper than most into the cutout bins of ‘70s summer simmer. The early records were more sparse, mirroring the private press feel of collector’s classics, but over the past few releases Ripley’s begun to find a fullness and warmth that hits like finally letting a sigh escape. Sol y Sombra makes good on its sun and shade aesthetic, basking the listener in its glow while sheltering them from the full swelter of life.

One of the biggest shifts on Sol y Sombra can be felt in Ripley’s playing. Past records have shared some crossover tone with his work in Moon Duo, but there’s a departure on the new record. In the Duo, the guitar phrases glisten like caverns of ice, but in Rose City Rip’s often found employing a guitar sound that rolls down the spine like sweat. I’ve always loved this about Ripley’s work, but here the ripples melt like butter, blending with Barry Walker’s slides into something hazier. The album appears like an oasis in the heat and humidity of the harshness all around us. The strums and organ runs seem to weave around the heat ripple haze of the open roads with uncanny ease.

The band expertly folds into that haze, setting their sound to steam, stretching out and embracing a more languid form of the Cosmic sound. A patter of hand drums dips in and out of view. Memories of AM disco waft from hidden speakers, twisting with the sounds of country and cumbia from passing cars. The band’s long been working towards a sound that feels like sun soaking into the skin, but they may finally have landed one that requires SPF before firing up the speakers. I feel like I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating; Rose City Band offer up one of their best yet.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.

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