Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Kenosha, Wisconsin’s Rainy Day Crush is heartily rooted in the city’s early-to-mid 90s indie rock scene. Original lead vocalist Betsy Ade and guitarist Matt Specht (ex-The Other Side) comprised its principle creative force, forming the quartet in 2002 thanks to regional success. After only one album, 2003’s Free to Go, internal tensions had split them up. However, a charity performance on their ten-year anniversary reunited Ade and Specht via two incarnations—first as the intimately acoustic duo, Candy Apple Crush, and then as the newly invigorated Rainy Day Crush, adding bassist Derek Schattl and singing drummer Mike Wynn, Jr. A year later, Ade’s departure left the band unable to find a replacement vocalist. Nonetheless, Matt, Derek, and Mike pushed forward as a trio, releasing the Calamity! EP in 2016.
At present, today marks the premiere of Rainy Day Crush’s follow-up, “No Such Thing,” the debut single off their soon-to-be-released I’m Still Alive EP. What’s presented is nothing short of an anthem, alternative aesthetics kept intact. Right away, I’m particularly impressed by its balanced production dynamics. The guitars feel meaty without being overpowering, and the sparse synth integration adds just the right touch of atmosphere. Even with the bigness of the chorus, the vocal harmonies emit a contrasting subdued quality that actually fits comfortably in the mix. To an extent, both their tonal and thematic delivery convey the predicament of loss amid a senseless, unfairly one-sided betrayal. This way, I had a moment of clarity about the band’s intention to ‘crush rainy days,’ as it were. The instrumentation emphasizes a complementary means of uplifting the listener, all the while recognizing their internal struggles.
Rainy Day Crush Socials:
