Rainbow City Park debuts EP “Fruitless” on February 4
By William Morton
Rainbow City Park’s five-song release will be followed by a West Coast tour from San Diego to Tacoma
Dani Judith, guitarist and lead vocalist of five-piece Northern California-based indie rock band Rainbow City Park, emerged from a rustic oceanside closet inside the Panoramic House recording studio. For the past eight hours, the closet — scarcely larger than Harry Potter’s under-the-stairs bedroom — had been Judith’s home. A stool, a small table, a notebook and some recording equipment helped fill the space. She had been recording vocals for the third track, “Chalk,” on their debut EP, “Fruitless.”
Chris O’Keefe, guitarist of Rainbow City Park, recalled thinking “Holy shit, this is good,” after hearing what Judith had recorded.
The recording of “Chalk” was simultaneously Judith’s least favorite part of the residency and O’Keefe’s favorite. They both echoed that it couldn’t have been done if not for the amazing group of people they were surrounded by and the beautiful environment they were recording in.
Their weeklong residency at the Panoramic House recording studio was long — averaging 10 to 12 hours of recording per day — but the high-quality result was worth it. The EP was mixed and mastered by Ed Brooks, known for his work with Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cuties, and Fleet Foxes.
Set to release on February 4, 2025, “Fruitless” is comprised of five songs and spans just under 20 minutes. The sonic experience is reminiscent of shoegaze-inspired instrumentals combined with Paramore and Phoebe Bridger-esque vocals. The album cover has a familiar saturated and gradated red, yellow, and orange hue that marks many shoegaze album covers: a lack of anything specifically identifiable, but still a sense of familiarity; not dissimilar to how the music sounds.
“Fruitless” begins with distortion. From backup chords to melody licks, the guitars are marked with a grungy sort of quality. The lead guitar licks and vocal lines feel like they’re dancing, intertwining, ebbing and flowing. The layering of guitar is reminiscent of DIIV and works to divert attention away from any specific phrase, acting more as parts of a whole, a cog of the machine; less like a completely separate entity, an arrow flying alone, soon to be surrounded by flesh. The bass and drums combine to form an effective and reliable backbone.
Lyrically, “Fruitless” covers themes of insecurities, heartbreak, disappointment, letting go, and moving on. This EP feels built for a humid summer basement — warm beer and sweat. Skin-to-skin dancing and nails sticking a bit too far out of unfinished wood beams on drywall-free walls. Rainbow City Park has all the right ingredients to be a fun and engaging live band, as well as the mixing and mastering to make digital listening enjoyable.
After the release of their EP, they will be touring up and down the West Coast, from San Diego to Tacoma and back again. Keep an eye out for a show near you!