Review By Aaron Cloutier & Staff
It doesn’t take the listener too long to realize the straightforward and socially conscious nature behind the indie rock inspired song “Streetfights” from Reddrum Society.
Amidst the dusty groove laden rhythms, melancholy chords and vocals filled will a certain edgy personality lurks a much more serious subject matter centered around the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that soon followed. One listen of the chorus and its all laid out concisely:
“Street fights come to my city. Street fights come to my town. But I love it and I hate it. We’re burning it down. The street fights don't mess around”
Immediately upon hearing the verses, I got this desert type of vibe what with the mixture of acoustic guitars flavored with reverb drenched Strat lines and old-time piano that set what I thought might be the tone of the whole song. I was surprised to be met with a much larger rock sounding chorus complete with pristine choir style backing vocals, tambourine and even a horn section. It's an incredible arrangement that keeps your ears locked in.
The mood of the music as a whole makes for an interesting contrast with the sadder subject matter. The sounds are well produced and have a gritty warmth about them that gives the song character and depth. Every phrase, accentuation, and expression has been attended to. The chorus is catchy and highly melodic. If meaningful lyrics set to great indie rock flavored with fantastic pop sensibilities and surprising twists are your bag, then you and Reddrum Society will become best friends very quickly.
About Redrum Society
RedrumSociety was founded in 2008 in South Florida by four newly made friends (Esperanzo Wilcox, Esdras Reymond, Zach Cohen, and Dylan Lerner) of completely different backgrounds in every sense of the word: families, music, culture, and ethnicity. When they came together, it felt like magic and a brotherhood was formed. Later on, the members of the band carried out different lives, one of them, Dylan, passing away at the age of 17. Eventually it was only Zach, now living at the time in Santa Monica, CA to continue on the RedrumSociety name and tradition.
Zach wanted to embody the spirit of the original lineup. That spirit is an in your face, against the grain attitude. It is music that talks about what we all think but don’t say. That theme still holds true in all of their songs, even as the sound has evolved dramatically throughout the years.
Today, Zach has relocated back to South Florida to be back in touch with his roots. The founding members still remain in close contact and influence the music and help Zach write and style the songs. Currently they have four projects which have reached the pop, and alternative charts, with their most recent album reaching number two on the rock charts. During the pandemic they have recorded a new album with the goal of creating a soundtrack for 2020.