What's the Frequency?
7 / 20 / 2018
"A beautiful pop valentine"
"If the world is gettin' ya down, this will fix you right up."
-Marc Phillips, The Vinyl Anachronist
"What’s the Frequency? is an overall perfect album- from the jingle-jangely opening track “I Choose Love”, right down to the closing track that is all about goodbyes known as “Evershine.”
-Ron Trembath, Trainwreck'd Society
"Catchy, effortlessly enjoyable"
"Breezy, totally charming indie pop"
-Matt Dinaro, Rock and Roll Portland OR
"Easily find their way into your musical heart" -JP's music blog
"It's rare that a band can produce so many songs that have universal appeal" -Gary Schwind, AXS
Rocket 3’s self-released 2014 debut album, “Burn”, reached #76 in the CMJ college radio charts, earning the band critical acclaim and comparisons to Belly, Blake Babies, and the Breeders. Their sophomore album, “What’s the Frequency?”, which released on July 20, 2018, was the 17th most added album in its debut week (ahead of Shaggy and Sting), has been played on more than 55 college radio stations, and charted in the top 30 on 11 of them. The album's sound grows out of the band’s pop punk roots, but with disarming up-close vocals and clean, warm guitar tones. The title is a playful nod to both the R.E.M. song and to bass player Kenneth Foust, who joined the band in 2015 and shares songwriting duties with guitarist and lead singer, Ramune Nagisetty. Andrew Anymouse adds drums while Portland musical talent, Gavin Duffy, contributes saxophone and keyboards to add new flavors to an already tasty recipe. Matt Jefferson, producer of “Burn”, reprises his role as recording engineer and producer.
"What's the Frequency?" favors quality over quantity, featuring nine non-formulaic hits with provocative lyrics. The lead-off track, “I Choose Love,” is an unusually structured song about learning how to love. “Echoes” is an autobiographical account of witnessing how cruel people can be. “What If” is an energetic, 3-chord banger with multiple time signatures and a call and response describing a lover choosing drug addiction over a relationship: “what if I just need you? - what if I need to leave.” “Giving Up” is an upbeat track about the joy that comes from just letting go. And “I Don’t Need Ya” sings about rejecting the pursuit of money.
Rocket 3 has played hundreds of live performances in Portland since 2012. Their song “I See” was included on Portland’s 2017 PDX Pop Now! compilation CD. The bandmates contribute more broadly to Portland’s music culture, with Ramune writing for the Portland Notes music blog and Andrew hosting the Local Roots Music Showcase. However, the band is most proud to have raised over $5K for the American Cancer Society through sales of their debut album, “Burn.”
Links:
Lyrics and liner notes
CD cover high res image
Band contact: rocket3music@gmail.com
Album credits and liner notes:
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 7 written by Ramune Nagisetty
Tracks 8 and 9 written by Kenneth Foust
Tracks 3, 4, and 6 written by Kenneth Foust and Ramune Nagisetty
Ramune Nagisetty: guitar and vocals
Kenneth Foust: bass, and backing vocals on Evershine
Andrew Anymouse: drums, and backing vocals and metallophone on Evershine
Gavin Duffy: saxophone on Hip Shot and Evershine, keyboard on What If and Giving Up
Recorded, engineered, and produced by Matt Jefferson at Make Music or Die Studios in Portland, Oregon
Mastered by John Scrip at Massive Mastering
Artwork by Ero Gray and JF Creative
Copyright 2018