The Grand Rapids EP by Rip Van Winkle

Following in the footsteps of The Velvet Underground in their notorious tension between folksy storytelling and drony instrumentals, the new release The Grand Rapids EP from Rip Van Winkle bursts at the seams with a unique energy that evades genres and trends. A band composed of rock instruments, synths, and other miscellaneous sounds sets up an elaborate sonic snare that the stumbling vocals fall into on every track, further increasing the uneasiness already present in these meandering words. In our minds, similar anxious thought loops tie themselves into knots, forcing out any competing concern and wrapping our energy in an unrelenting vice grip. The instrumentals of this album provide a soundtrack to this mental constriction, all while the rambling vocals show us the way our anxious rationalizing sounds to those around us. Where the guitars sit still and meditate on a single tone, our thoughts shut down one by one, drawing all our attention to our hyperactive, terrified core, chasing itself through streams of consciousness and angular riffs.