"stoplight / if it were me I know / he wouldn't bat an eye..."
The bloody heavy hammer of "Ride", by Sacramento - California alt rock quartet MRS, steeped in gritty dense distortions, dark nature and even exuberant lightness is something to experience whole. That is to say, you will see things as well as hear them, maybe even more so when you learn about the story being told. "Ride" plays like an A24 movie, as directed by S. Craig Zahler, based on a simple premise that begs to be flushed out. You want to know the back story, the prologue, the truth and consequences. The liner notes reveal and tease anyway:
LINER NOTES (bracketed):
[Ride was produced by Alex Estrada (Glixen, Drug Church, Touche Amore) at The Pale Moon Ranch Studio in Southern California. It is The truest representation of MRS's sound to date, after adding new guitarist Hunter Stewart to the group. 'Ride' is an anthemic, fun and upbeat song with catchy melodies and bright guitar tones. The song's lyrics tell the story of a revenge murder, the narrator acting on a personal vendetta by locking their victim in the trunk of a car and driving across a desert in the middle of summer. The song transitions into a slower, heavier, more contemplative outro section, then finally ending with a melody so delicate it almost makes the listener feel like leaning in just so they don't miss it.]
I truly appreciate the sonics here. The massive guitar heaviness, whether ultra distorted or semi-so with shine brightness, punctuates the drama in perfect ways. I love the bass and drums here as well, sometimes in heavy songs they bang away (as I guess they should) but here they swing, like super swing while staying exquisitely punchy. The vocals feel wonderfully evocative, staying dreamy while having bite and swagger. Also there is a pop prowess sensibility (little bit) here in the production but this is definitely not a power pop song. Finally, the pretty outro is just fucking surprising and amazing. Does it represent freedom or is it an ascent to heaven, who knows?
MRS is Michael Blake, Sean Bell, Hunter Stewert and Ryan Quartarola.
Someone go make this movie.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/mrstheband/
https://mrstheband.bandcamp.com/
Ride was produced by Alex Estrada (Glixen, Drug Church, Touche Amore) at The Pale Moon Ranch Studio in Southern California. It is The truest representation of MRS's sound to date, after adding new guitarist Hunter Stewart to the group. 'Ride' is an anthemic, fun and upbeat song with catchy melodies and bright guitar tones. The song's lyrics tell the story of a revenge murder, the narrator acting on a personal vendetta by locking their victim in the trunk of a car and driving across a desert in the middle of summer. The song transitions into a slower, heavier, more contemplative outro section, then finally ending with a melody so delicate it almost makes the listener feel like leaning in just so they don't miss it.
MRS, alt rock, heavy rock, pop punk, garage rock, "Ride", gritty story telling, dark nature, exuberant visions, slamming, banging, swinging musicality, dense distortions, Sacramento California,
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