Eclectic heavy progressives Rainbows Are Free are set to make their label debut on Ripple Music as winter thaws, with a March 7 release lined up for Silver and Gold. I count it as their fifth record overall and the PR wire below puts it at their fourth, but either way, the band reach 15 years since their debut EP, and in that time, they’ve fostered an expansive sound with a clear mind toward adventure in songwriting. You can hear that in the semi-lurch chug that resolves “Sleep,” the album’s first single. It’s a cool, casual flow, semi-psych but not too tripped out, soul in the vocals, and I’m sure represents only a fraction of what the band have in store throughout the LP.

They’ve been somewhat undervalued up to this point — their last album was 2023’s Heavy Petal Music (review here) — so I’m curious to see how Ripple‘s built-in listenership takes to them and where the band go with their sound. Part of the appeal for me to this point in their work is the fact that you can’t really predict it and the band are able to build trust in their audience regardless. It’s not an inconsiderable accomplishment.

Info from the PR wire:

RAINBOWS ARE FREE to issue new album “Silver and Gold” on Ripple Music this spring; watch new video “Sleep” now.

US heavy psychedelic and progressive rockers RAINBOWS ARE FREE announce the upcoming release of their fourth studio album “Silver and Gold” this March 7th on Ripple Music, and present their new video for “Sleep” today.

Rainbows Are Free’s sonic pedigree appears on the rock n’ roll family tree at the point where proto-metal and heavy psychedelia shared a common apocryphal ancestor before branching off into their own distinct lineages. Their fourth studio record “Silver and Gold” is a dark-tinged, heavy offering that immediately conjures a sense of foreboding right out of the gates – a comforting dreariness that the band embraces to channel their sonic attack. They are at peace here, if not at home.

The sonic assault continues as the band pummels the listener with crunchy guitars erupting into explosive leads that ride upon a driving rhythm section, held together by a lattice of spacey synth and guitar atmospherics. Rainbows Are Free’s soundscape is further cemented by lead singer Brandon Kistler’s soaring, crooning, and at times snarling, vocal fury. In all, the heavy psych alchemy at work on the album is apparent in their multi-faceted sound that spins proggy riffs, sexy groove magick, garage surf-rock, and even a death metal inspired ripper into “Silver and Gold” as a varied, but cohesive listening experience.

About the new single “Sleep”, vocalist Brandon Kistler comments: “Lyrically, it’s pretty straight ahead, and I’m most proud of the chorus for its honesty about society today and how we perceive it. It’s very relatable to how I felt at the time. My favorite line is, “We can’t let it break, no it can’t be broke.” I’m referring to society as a whole, and I was thinking about my children and the future of that society when I ad-libbed that line… we have to make it work.”

RAINBOWS ARE FREE “Silver and Gold”
Out March 7th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)
International preorder – https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/silver-and-gold
North American preorder – https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/product/rainbows-are-free-silver-and-gold-limited-edition-vinyl-and-cd-editions

Often appearing in costumed stage dress, the band, fronted by the soaring and snarling nigh 7-foot cyclone of weirdness that is Brandon Kistler, continues to shock and amaze fans by introducing an element of good- humored theatrics to accompany their live sonic assault. This is achieved in no small part due to the guitar prowess and songwriting of Richie Tarver, joined by the ambient soundscapes of Joey Powell on rhythm guitar and Josh Elam on spacey synth, and rounded out by the thunderous low end of Jason Smith on bass and Bobby Onspaugh on drums.

Rainbows Are Free continue to bring their unique brand of psychedelic heaviness on tour as they support the release of their upcoming studio album, Silver and Gold, due out Spring of 2025 on Ripple Music.

RAINBOWS ARE FREE is
Brandon Kistler – Vocals
Richie Tarver – Lead Guitar
Jason Smith – Bass
Joey Powell – Rhythm Guitar
Bobby Onspaugh – Drums
Josh Elam – Synths

https://www.facebook.com/RainbowsAreFree/
http://instagram.com/rainbowsarefree
https://rainbowsarefree.bandcamp.com/
https://rainbowsarefree.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Rainbows Are Free, “Sleep” official video