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PRESS RELEASE

RainCrowd Releases Year-End Compilation EP

Multi-genre group vows to keep on recording.

For Immediate Release

December 9, 2021

Linden, NJ

NJ-based indie rock alternative band, RainCrowd, announces the release of their year-end compilation album entitled, “XXI".

"Being an indie band without a big budget for marketing, we wanted to re-inform everyone of the singles we recorded this year and hopefully gain more exposure to new listeners", notes frontman, Chot Ulep. "And we also added another single which some may even recognize", he added.

The EP begins with "Can't We All Just Get Along?", which was released on April and was also part of a Stop AAPI Hate benefit album headed by producer Ted Reyes (formerly of ViacomCBS and MTV). Renowned writer and editor Jim Testa (Jersey Beat, Rolling Stone, etc.) also squeezed the single in one of his podcasts as part of his 4th of July line-up.

Track 2 is the single called "Star", which the band admitted, is somewhat influenced by New Order. It is also the first single released with keyboard and synths overstepping on the usual guitar-based sound. "The song was written with a good hook already which was keyboard-based and I didn't want to change that", explains Nico Capistrano, the band's lead guitarist, back up vocals, keyboardist and overall engineer.

"Summertime" is the 3rd track which was meticulously rearranged by drummer Tonyo Valbuena to create a dramatic dynamics that fits the lyrics. "The parts have to compliment each other and the drums provided a good initial layer for everyone to play off of", remarked Capistrano.

"Leak In Her Heart", released at the end of Summer, is the 4th track and was actually part of RainCrowd's archived demo recordings at the beginning of the millenium. "It was Nico's idea to release it formally, when I asked him and Dave (rhythm guitarist) what song we should record next", comments Ulep. "I had David Zeman (co-producer/engineer and keyboardist for The Rembrandts, Gin Blossoms, AJ Croce, etc.) listen to it back in the day and he also liked it!", added Ulep.

Surf rock track, "On A Higher Ground", is the 5th song on the album. The single is also the first song of the group to get a US radio airplay and be charted by the NACC, which is currently the biggest college radio charts organization in North America. Other positive reviews of the single include Thin Lizzy's producer, a music critic from Paste Magazine and a major label global head of A&R.

"Relax" is the 6th track on the album which was officially released at the end of November this year. The single was featured as song-of-the-week at 102.9 WLAS, a college radio station by Lasell University in Massachusetts. "We kind of went back and forth on several parts of the song and had to decide on whether or not to include keyboard tracks, especially at the final chorus. In the end, Nico's bluesy-jazzy solo was a great set up for our signature guitar-based ending", comments Ulep.

The 7th and final track on the album is called "Manila" - a song written in honor of the city where the band started playing in the 90's. "Recording it with the whole band was something that was in the back of my mind for years. I initially recorded it alone for a demo and that version was included in a non-profit benefit album released for Leyte - a province in the Philippines destroyed by landslide in 2006", Ulep narrates. The album was produced by guitar virtuoso and multi-platinum Filipino artist, Perf De Castro (PerfectoDeCastro.com), who organized it with other Filipino-American acts. The song's guitar riffs are punk-oriented and Capistrano adds that he was influenced by punk-ska band Goldfinger when he recorded his tracks.

The release date for RainCrowd's year-end EP, “XXI”, is scheduled on January 1st, 2022 and will be available at major music streaming platforms.

For more information about the band, please visit http://RainCrowd.net.

RainCrowd is a member of ASCAP, BMI and SoundExchange

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