photo by joey wharton / "Drag my dead old bones out of bed again / Turn the news on, turn the news off / Grind the beans and brew me up a strong pot..."
The indie rock power punching exuberance of "Snaggletooth", by Richmond -Virginia based Rikki Rakki, is made up of a lot of things, all those things feeling magnetic and inspired. I mean if I was a music chemist of sorts and could distill all the elements I am feeling, heavy alt rock, bouncy power pop, 90's indie rock with hints of 90's twee, shades of art rock guitar bluster and glam glitter into appropriate percentages I would bore the shit out of you but you catch my drift. There are alot of supremely criss crossed music genres that feel conceptually, artistically perfectly balanced here.
The connective tissue between all this distorted happiness is songwriter Erika Blatnik's comely vocal countenance that feels at once gritty but slides into lovely, even cheeky falsettos. She also provides the guitar jamminess along with Matt Luger on guitar (and synth), Andy Brown on bass and Jay Kole on drums. The main aesthetic (or highest percentage of the aforementioned generes) is the kind of post grunge indie rock leans that might feel great against artists, bands like Pixies, The Breeders, Everclear, Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk and Sleater-Kinney.
Some of my favorite lyric excerpts:
"It’s been a long ride and I’m tired
Of acting surprised by the weather
Another gunfire and another
I’d lose my head if it wasn’t on a tether
So fuck it all, let’s have a tall boy at the river
Sunblock find a rock and we’ll sit there
Dip our feet in, maybe take a little swim
And we’ll be smiling again
My baby’s digging holes on the beach, got a dirt ‘stache
She’s crazy, with the zoomies, making a splash
The dragonflies and the herons, are buzzing by
The otters and the turtles are saying hi"
Of acting surprised by the weather
Another gunfire and another
I’d lose my head if it wasn’t on a tether
So fuck it all, let’s have a tall boy at the river
Sunblock find a rock and we’ll sit there
Dip our feet in, maybe take a little swim
And we’ll be smiling again
My baby’s digging holes on the beach, got a dirt ‘stache
She’s crazy, with the zoomies, making a splash
The dragonflies and the herons, are buzzing by
The otters and the turtles are saying hi"
LINER NOTES (bracketed):
[“Snaggletooth” is the first release from Rikki Rakki’s upcoming Sing, Cicadas! EP, which will be out on all streaming platforms on May 2nd. The five new songs are a celebration of life and nature amongst the chaos of adversity. A nostalgic Virginian summer soundscape – the swelling chorus of frogs, the buzz of cicadas and the rush of river noise – swirls throughout the album, exploring the fragile ecosystem that we are intrinsically a part of, our impact on earth and the subsequent eco-anxiety felt in the face of climate change. The EP embraces nature’s resiliency and its joyful effect on the human spirit in songs that draw in elements of alt country, chamber pop, and indie rock to create a sound both spacious and spirited.]
[Sing, Cicadas! was recorded between February 2024-25 at Spacebomb studio in Richmond by Rikki Rakki guitarist/synth player Matt Luger with setup assistance from Spacebomb’s John Trainum, as well as at the band’s home studios. The lineup from 2023’s Breaking Skin LP remains firmly in place with Andy Brown (bass) and Jay Kole (drums) rejoining Blatnik (guitar/vocals) and Luger.]
[Rikki Rakki joins Bully for a hometown show as part of the Friday Cheers series at Brown’s Island on May 9th. Tickets available here.]
During these fucked up times, Rikki Rakki's spirit is totally appreciated. Their sound takes us back and pushes us forward through the muck and into the light.
[Sing, Cicadas! was recorded between February 2024-25 at Spacebomb studio in Richmond by Rikki Rakki guitarist/synth player Matt Luger with setup assistance from Spacebomb’s John Trainum, as well as at the band’s home studios. The lineup from 2023’s Breaking Skin LP remains firmly in place with Andy Brown (bass) and Jay Kole (drums) rejoining Blatnik (guitar/vocals) and Luger.]
[Rikki Rakki joins Bully for a hometown show as part of the Friday Cheers series at Brown’s Island on May 9th. Tickets available here.]
During these fucked up times, Rikki Rakki's spirit is totally appreciated. Their sound takes us back and pushes us forward through the muck and into the light.
"Our babies will all be running free in the country
The butterflies and bumblebees getting tipsyOn the daisies and the dandelions and we’ll be happy
And we’ll be lazy, and we won’t give a damn, cuz we’re happy
We’ll be happy
We’ll be happy"
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsLvQhlSPcdah6SyJJ0NqLA
https://rikkirakki.bandcamp.com/track/snaggletooth-2
https://www.instagram.com/rikki_rakki_music/#
Rikki Rakki is a hazy, dreamy, “stargazy” rock & roll band from Richmond, Virginia. Songwriter Erika Blatnik’s sweet-tart voice and lilting melodies deliver lyrics hell-bent on finding hope in a void-gazing reality. Along with her own jaunty guitar, Blatnik and buds Matt Luger (guitar/synth), Andy Brown (bass), and Jay Kole (drums) create a vibrant tapestry of sound, weaving layers of reverb-washed harmonies, decaying ambient flutters, sharp jangles and tactile rhythms.
In May 2022, Rikki Rakki released their first EP, Quarantine Sessions, described by The Auricular as “a sweeping record that consoles the past as much as it affirms the future.” In July of 2023, Rikki Rakki released their first full-length album Breaking Skin, which was nominated for the Newlin Music Prize, praised as “a stunning tapestry of genuine human expression…a constellation of artistic brilliance” (The Auricular) and touted as “unforgettable music with a truly one of kind band that pour their heart and soul into everything they do” (RVAMag). Rikki Rakki has performed up and down the east coast and is excited to release their upcoming EP Sing, Cicadas! in May of 2025.
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsLvQhlSPcdah6SyJJ0NqLA
https://rikkirakki.bandcamp.com/track/snaggletooth-2
https://www.instagram.com/rikki_rakki_music/#
Rikki Rakki is a hazy, dreamy, “stargazy” rock & roll band from Richmond, Virginia. Songwriter Erika Blatnik’s sweet-tart voice and lilting melodies deliver lyrics hell-bent on finding hope in a void-gazing reality. Along with her own jaunty guitar, Blatnik and buds Matt Luger (guitar/synth), Andy Brown (bass), and Jay Kole (drums) create a vibrant tapestry of sound, weaving layers of reverb-washed harmonies, decaying ambient flutters, sharp jangles and tactile rhythms.
In May 2022, Rikki Rakki released their first EP, Quarantine Sessions, described by The Auricular as “a sweeping record that consoles the past as much as it affirms the future.” In July of 2023, Rikki Rakki released their first full-length album Breaking Skin, which was nominated for the Newlin Music Prize, praised as “a stunning tapestry of genuine human expression…a constellation of artistic brilliance” (The Auricular) and touted as “unforgettable music with a truly one of kind band that pour their heart and soul into everything they do” (RVAMag). Rikki Rakki has performed up and down the east coast and is excited to release their upcoming EP Sing, Cicadas! in May of 2025.
Rikki Rakki, indie rock, alt rock, 90's post grunge, art rock, hints of glam and twee, singer songwriter Erika Blatnik, heaviness meets dreaminess, existential power pop, drop D rock, New EP "Sing, Cicadas!",
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