RGF – “Spanish Orange”

 RGF – “Spanish Orange”

RGF – “Spanish Orange” – Single Review

I can get behind this.  “Spanish Orange” from the self-titled RGF record definitely has that hard-rock/alt/grunge sound that I’ve called home for many years…and given that the band is 20 from the looks of things on social-media…pretty safe to say they’ve grown up on many of those same sounds I know & love myself.  Dig the timing and ideas in this single right from the get-go…RGF gives you plenty of opportunity to appreciate this grunge groove-rock they’ve got goin’ on in “Spanish Orange” before the vocals even start with nearly a full minute of dedicated instrumental badassery.  Sounding large & in-charge, RGF storms through the rhythm with resounding authority and between Barry (Guitar), Adam (Guitar), Scott (Bass), and Noah (Drums) – they set the tone to menace & mayhem and create a gripping atmosphere in the music that leaves the perfect amount of space for singer Jzun to slide right into.

“Spanish Orange” has that sludgy blues-grunge sound that naturally oozes through your speakers and into your ears.  The rhythm & groove quickly catch the attention through the clever riffs that start this song out, and the vocals from Jzun add that final piece of the puzzle required to really flush out the full sound of RGF.  Resulting in a meaty cut that is likely challenging to play but highly rewarding to have written & pulled-off – “Spanish Orange” is a combination of strengths & expert ability from this veteran crew of the scene…it’s certainly clear that this ain’t the band’s first rodeo.  “Spanish Orange” is tightly played, smartly written, and its entire attitude looms and storms throughout this song like it’s ready to stomp on the dreams of a whole village under the weight of its boots.  It’s heavy stuff…but heavy in a really solid & absorbable way…because of its flawless assembly & sound, I’d even challenge that this is actually a fairly accessible single, considering the genre & all.  Sure it can be tough to find places for the mid-tempo sludgers out there to find a home in terms of radio etc., but there are more than enough spaces online that’ll take a song like this in and help prove that sounds like RGF are thriving, alive & well.

They kind of even tap into like…a kind of Stone Temple Pilots-like stomp in the rush of the chorus…I can get behind that as well.  As much as this single felt like it slipped & slithered around in the music, tempo, & pace, “Spanish Orange” also felt remarkably controlled…RGF clearly knows where to add the punch and when to turn up the energy, when to challenge us as listeners, and when to let us get our groove on.

I also have to point out that, the first way I experienced “Spanish Orange” was actually watching it via YouTube…and I highly recommend that you do the same…so…well…no excuses, here you are, click play!

But c’mon right?  Solid song to begin with, killer video to go with it…RGF has got a strong combo here.  This whole mini Planet Of The Apes thing they’ve got goin’ on with the bicycle race and whole posse of ape-masks  riding down the street looks insanely cool.  People can find such amazing footage sometimes that it just blows my mind…and as a result of some genius out there stumbling across this absolute GEM of a PSA called One Got Fat, the video supporting “Spanish Orange” is a freakin’ must-watch.  Like…it’s the kind of footage that not only makes for an extremely rad video, but when you see it, you’ll truly wonder how on earth and WHY this was filmed way back when…because straight-up, it’s bizarre and as far as PSAs go…I can’t for the life of me figure out how this might actually have been meant for our benefit & learning, not solely for our entertainment, like it is now in the RGF video for “Spanish Orange.”  I have no idea where or how they found it – I’m just glad they did…I could watch this over & over and never get bored because it just makes me so endlessly curious about the WTF of it all.  On the bright side…if that’s what I choose to do, it’ll feel like time well spent…it’s as oddly entertaining as visuals can get & complements that subtle psychedelic vibe that runs deep through the flavor of “Spanish Orange.”

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Jer@SBS

http://sleepingbagstudios.ca

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