Punk Rock for the Soul

When I got the email with The Roof Rabbits’ new EP in my inbox, I was incredibly pumped.

“Arizona,” as the project is called, features four tracks that will do very good things to your body. This is the Bend-based band’s first project since 2018, when The Roof Rabbits dropped its debut album, “Creature Comforts.”

Here are my initial thoughts on each of the four songs after hearing them play.

#1 – “Arizona”

Wow. This track is a keeper. The album opens with Johnny Bourbon’s vocals shouting out “Bury the bones where no one will find them,” backed by a rush of almost angry-sounding guitar chords. It feels like heartbreak is written all over the walls on this one. Bourbon sings about a girl (also known as a hot mess) from Arizona. This is a great opening track that really sets the pace.

#2 – “Golden Years”

My head starts nodding as soon as “Golden Years” starts, and eventually evolves into a full-on thrashing. You can feel the pain on this song too, but it’s different than on “Arizona.” It’s less bitter—more so like you just got into a fight and were left on the sidewalk with a bloody mouth. While it hurts, you still have to get up and walk home.

#3 – “Radio Play”

This might be the perfect name for this song since it sounds like a jam you’d be able to hear on an alt-rock station right now. It’s a nice touch on the bond you can have with music. Sometimes that one song gets you so good that you don’t need anything else in the outside world. The guitar here is smooth and intoxicating, like that feeling of falling back into a pattern of isolation with your headphones in.

#4 – “Hack It”

That teenage-angst is fully felt on “Hack It.” It also feels eerily timely. My younger sister is a senior this year back in Iowa, and with schools canceled, it really feels like time to “watch the world burn” for her and her friends. And for all of us, really. There’s some real serious jamming going on here, and all the build up leads to an ultimate scream of letting go of what sounds like everything at just a little after four-minutes in. It’s a great closer that leaves you feeling like you truly left everything out on the field.

Final Thoughts

“Arizona” is a really great four-pack of songs. As a listener, the music lets you take all the emotion you have built up and let it go for one freeing release. Especially now, it feels so good to just rage and have fun. The Roof Rabbits killed it on this one and I can’t wait to see if a
full-length album comes later this year.

You can purchase the Roof Rabbits’ EP on Bandcamp here.

And check out our August 2019 interview with Johnny Bourbon of The Roof Rabbits here.

This article appears in Mar 25 – May 20, 2020.