River and the engrossing startle and punch of "Inappropriate" (Official Video)

 

Photo by Filip Piskorzynski

"Inappropriate", the debut single from Hamburg-based, California-bred road tripping duo River and accompanied with a startlingly engrossing Official Video that feels like a trailer for a movie you want to see, hooks you in early with a wonderfully ferocious tom tom beat and twisting synths that fall away into a thick bass line and a vocal aesthetic that bristle with an unbridled urgency. I love how 'inappropriate' is pronounced in an unconventional way, it lends an added punch and seems to change the intent, the poetic license adds another layer.

River is a musical project that was born out of a kismet-ian circumstance. Aljoscha and Christian, both originally from Hamburg, Germany met by pure coincidence while working in Los Angeles. A longing to create something brought them together. Aljoscha recalls: “We quickly realized our approach to aesthetics is very similar – even though we contrast heavily in the way we write music. This, however, was no obstacle and became the foundation of our music.” Writing music while road tripping so far away from home actually fuels the creative songwriting process for the pair. “My mind is in an altogether different state when I’m far away from home,” says Aljoscha. “I feel stronger while I’m on the road, experiencing a deeper joy but also a deeper sadness.”  

"Inappropriate" as a piece of sonic art feels so utterly vast and so relatable. A song that, I feel, will stick to people in a universal way like an iconic Fleetwood Mac song. There is something wanderlustful in River's sound that is so captivating. The track was written in Sequoia National Park, a place of such monumental natural beauty.

“This song is like traveling back in time to when we were still kids living each day to the fullest, not a care in the world,” the band explains. “Not taking life and ourselves too seriously can be a lot harder than expected but with just the right bit of distance it’s a lot less drama than you think.” - River

The Official Video as directed by Jarred Figgins, shot by Director of Photography Dylan Boerstra and starring Emma Grey and Sam Jordan is potent in it's filmic thrust. The soft exposures, perfect cast and storytelling will have you watching it repeatedly and wishing it was a trailer for an actual movie. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:


https://www.instagram.com/river.the.band/

https://www.facebook.com/riverofficialband


Hamburg-based, California-bred road tripping duo RIVER have shared their debut single & video “Inappropriate,” available to stream now on YouTube and all DSPs worldwide. The track is an indie rock gem written in Sequoia National Park that will force you to bob your head as you listen. Adding just the right dose of bittersweet longing into an otherwise cheerful song, the wanderlust duo puts their entire craftsmanship arsenal on display right out of the gate. “Inappropriate” is a manifesto for not letting yourself get dragged down when life doesn’t play by your rules.

“This song is like traveling back in time to when we were still kids living each day to the fullest, not a care in the world,” the band explains. “Not taking life and ourselves too seriously can be a lot harder than expected but with just the right bit of distance it’s a lot less drama than you think.”

RIVER’s story becomes even more incredible when you hear that both Aljoscha and Christian are originally from Hamburg and only met coincidentally while working in Los Angeles. Aljoscha remembers: “We quickly realized our approach to aesthetics is very similar – even though we contrast heavily in the way we write music. This, however, was no obstacle and became the foundation of our music.” Writing music while traveling and being far from home is essential for River. “My mind is in an altogether different state when I’m far away from home,” says Aljoscha. “I feel stronger while I’m on the road, experiencing a deeper joy but also a deeper sadness.”

What’s new about the music of this remarkable duo is not only their cinematic sense of arranging their songs into these cascading, monumentally swelling moments that make you wanna cry, laugh, dance and hug people at the same time; it’s mainly their ability to let hope shine through melancholy and sadness echo through upbeat, spirited songs.

While most of the songs were created in the phenomenal mystique that is Sequoia National Park, nestled in a house next to a brook that inspired the simple yet fitting band name, some material was also written in Venice, South Africa, and back home in Hamburg. “The Californian sun,” Christian states, “is as important for us as a good old Hamburg drizzle.” It’s all about the contrasts, after all. Seldom before have they been combined in such a heartfelt, fierce way. The mundane and the magic, the highs and the lows, the joy and the pain.

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