RAINCROWD :: music, art and everything else in between

PRESS RELEASE

Indie Rock Band, RainCrowd, Releases EP With Songs In Reverse.

RainCrowd and their new album, "SSOS" - an interview by Matt Richards (Chicago Magazine, MTV News, BET, Spin, Grammy, etc.).

For Immediate Release

December 21, 2022

Linden, NJ

Matt Richards: We’re now in the homestretch of 2022. Would it be fair to call this a particularly busy and productive year for RainCrowd?

Chot U: Not at all. I believe that we could have been more productive but everyone has their own personal schedules to attend to given that we're not in our teens or 20's anymore. We'll see next year. Hopefully we can get more done.

MR: After years of Covid-related dormancy, live music is coming back in a major way. Have you done any shows recently? If so, does your set include material from SSOS?

CU: We haven't played any shows because we got busy on recording. We would love to play out and yes, we would be including the songs in the album when we do.

MR: How does SSOS differ from your previous work?

CU: Aside from its themed format, we paid more attention to detail from the beginning on this EP compared to the past projects. It's always a learning experience every time we work in our studios. Also less arguments than the last one. (Laughs). But seriously, the duality-theme became a big deal because we haven't really done this ever. Maybe even moving forward, all our releases will be themed in a way.

MR: One thing I find remarkable about this new EP is the sheer melodicism; every song is indelibly catchy. When you’re in the studio, is that your foremost priority - creating melodies that will stick?

CU: I feel like if we love the melody, others will too. So from the songwriting, we keep that in mind, all the way through the recording - whether it's a catchy tune or not. It's like cooking, if it tastes good for you, others might like it too, hopefully.

MR: SSOS is characterized by riffy, propulsive, anthemic guitar rock, often with pop-punk overtones. That’s the sound of the EP. But “Bring Me Home” is kind of a departure; it’s slightly gentler and more melancholy. Was “Bring Me Home” conceived that way? Is it supposed to be an anomalous, standalone record?

CU: That's a good observation. It was a song written during my time away from home in the early 2000s so that might have played a role in its dynamics. But we did not intend it to be a solo project in itself. Just so happens its subject is a bit different than the rest of the songs.

MR: Why did you decide on “Everyone Is Busy” as the next single?

CU: They (Nico Capistrano, Dave Majam and Tonyo Valbuena) trusted me to pick a song to record and when I was listening to our old demos, this song caught my attention. No one disagreed so we went ahead and recorded it. It was pretty much a random sort of thing.

MR: Your music draws inspiration from the Manila of yesteryear. Unfortunately, most listeners in this country are oblivious to ‘90s Manila rock. Who are some bands they should know?

CU: There are quite a few of them, like True Faith and Eraserheads, who we opened up shows for back then. Then there are pop rock bands like Introvoys who I played with in the mid 2000's. It's a fun tight knit community.

MR: How has the Manila rock scene changed since you were young?

CU: I haven't been back there in more than 20 years (give or take) so it's probably changed a lot. Nico, our lead guitar and engineer, said there are more opportunities now for musicians to thrive.

MR: How did you wind up in North Jersey? Linden strikes me as an odd place for some hard-rocking Filipino expats!

CU: Most of our family is in NJ and NY so we opted to settle in a town right in the middle of everybody. I have family in PA as well so it's like, ok, we're just here and Jon Bon Jovi is just a few towns down south. All good! (Laughs).

MR: I notice you have a good relationship with Lasell University’s student-run station. Is it me, or do people in the digital era underestimate college radio and the power it still yields?

CU: Yeah, it came as a surprise for us too. But college radio is a great way to really dive into the unknown and check out what's outside this super saturated commercial market. Some of the artists they play just blows me away! College radio is where a lot of successful artists started too so we're definitely keeping these relationships we have with these great institutions.

MR: Now that the EP has dropped, how long before we can expect a full-length?

CU: Honestly, we love to keep releasing materials whether they're singles, EPs or LPs. Hopefully 2023 and onwards will be that time when we get our schedules and ourselves organized and ready to work on full-length albums. We have a ton of songs on paper and it's just a matter of time. You'll be the first one to know for sure!

MR: What’s on the agenda for the rest of the year, and for that matter 2023?

CU: For next year, there is definitely another batch of songs - whether we can get more recorded or not, time will tell. But definitely we are not pausing or anything. The show must go on, as they say!

“SSOS” will be released on January 1, 2023 via major streaming platforms as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

For more information about Matt Richards, please visit https://muckrack.com/mt-richards.

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

RainCrowd is a member of ASCAP, BMI and SoundExchange

Download this article as a pdf

home