Rainbow City Park present the Fruit of Their Labor on Debut EP Fruitless
There’s a tree planted in Rainbow City Park, one which you would hardly call Fruitless. The debut EP by the NorCal indie-rock band is lavishly abundant with passionate performances, memorable songwriting, and nods to their creative influences. Despite being a brief five songs in length, every track is like a ripe mango: rich in layers, solid at the core, and with melodies that stick to my ear like juice to my taste buds.
“Fruitless” EP Cover Art
Based out of Sacramento, Davis, and San Francisco, the group consists of Chris O’Keefe on lead guitar, Ryan Williams on drums, Dani Judith on vocals, and Nick Nassab on guitar. They’ve released singles sporadically since forming in 2021 and recorded Fruitless as their debut EP following a week-long residency at the Panoramic House studio.
The EP opens with the titular track, “Fruitless,” a shoegaze banger featuring an anthemic chorus and driving guitars. This track sounds like a departure from the dream-pop aesthetic of their singles and features the band kicking the door off its hinges as they make their official introduction into harder rock. Reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, this track is superbly mixed, incorporating that instantly recognizable “wall of sound.” Williams shines on the drums, filling every inch of space with ravenous fills and stick-smashing cymbal splashes.
The following track “Chalk” reins in the ferocity a bit, featuring verses so lush you can swim through them, contrasted by a choppy, cross-cut, rhythm-heavy chorus. Track three, “Provincial,” is a Paramore-inspired rock track that infuses the emo/midwest guitar riffs you would expect from bands like Modern Baseball or Mom Jeans. The lyrical delivery is reminiscent of Hayley Williams in the verses but dissipates into ethereal wisps evocative of the sounds on Peripheral Vision by the band Turnover.
“Foresight” plays out like a game of cat and mouse; it sets up these indie-rock expectations in the song structure, then subverts them. The song kept me on my toes across my listen, constantly taking creative directions I wasn’t expecting. Between half-time beats, hard drops, and abrupt rhythm patterns, this song is like riding a rollercoaster with an invisible track.
The closing track, “Water Under The Bridge,” is the slowest song of the bunch, and where singer Danu Judith shines the brightest. Her voice is remarkable across the record, but on this song, it finally takes center stage. The chorus has a barely contained emotional restraint that’s seeping with fragility and romantic ennui; it’s a bonafide tearjerker.
In fact, it’s the excellence of this final track that makes the imperfections of the record begin to stand out. Judith has an evocative voice and gives a consistently compelling performance across the record, but sometimes, the layering of the vocal track gets a bit buried in the louder passages. This results in the mix sounding a bit crowded, when it could be soaring.
As Rainbow City Park gains experience and invests into their sound, hopefully, they can lean on their obvious confidence and excellent musicianship in order to indulge in their original sound and create something wholly theirs. The band is going on tour across the West Coast to support the EP, where I have no doubt their tree will continue to blossom.
TOUR DATES
2/07 - The Naked Lounge, Chico
2/08 - Lo Bar, Reno
2/15 - Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland
2/21 - Goldfields, Sacramento
2/25 - Sudwerk Brewing Co, Davis
3/26 - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco
5/15 - The Beat, San Diego
5/16 - The Vine, Long Beach
5/17 - Slipper Clutch, Los Angeles
5/18 - Great Rooms, Fresno
5/19 - TBD, San Luis Obispo
5/21 - The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz
5/22 - TBD, San Francisco
5/23 - Argus Bar, Chico
5/24 - The Temple, Eugene
5/25 - Bombs Away, Corvallis
5/27 - Radness, Salem
5/28 - TBD, Seattle
5/29 - Honey Latte, Portland
5/30 - Tri Coops, Davis
