The Ripping Rivers have arrived with a masterfully crafted, epic sounding, slow cooked and aurally delicious album titled Ripped Gratification.
I could get really wordy and go on and on about how hard this album jams. Or how much time went into making sure every tiny detail was molded to perfection. Or how the intricate musicality and layers of sonic textures will have you listening through these 13 masterpieces over and over discovering something new with each listen.
The Ripping Rivers deliver a tapestry of sounds that have been tailor-fitted for maximum potency.
From Conventry, England, Jake Hackett and Jamie Sheerman are the creative core which birthed The Ripping Rivers. Jake is the composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist of the duo. Jamie is the singer and lyricist. Alongside their hand-picked top-shelf talent pool, Jake and Jamie set out to do something really really simple yet something really complicated when you start putting in the work.
Their goal? I’ll let The Ripping Rivers tell you,
Go big. Make an album to the highest possible standard that leaves the listener in no doubt that we are the real deal. Even if you don’t like the music… Musically this album isn’t trying to say anything at all. It was made simply to prove to ourselves that we could make as good an album as possible. Lyrically; Jamie writes about what he himself has experienced in life. The good and the bad.”
Ripped Gratification is the result of 5 years of passionate, painstaking work. The crew spent 18 months recording instruments, 1 month recording lead vox, 6 months finding the right female backing vocalists, 80 hours recording 150 individual backing vocal parts, approximately 12 months mixing the album which resulted in 5 different mixes of the project, a break in which Jake started writing for their second album, and 100+ email exchanges with their mastering engineer days before he even started mastering the recordings.
They did all this before designing an album cover, before finding a distribution deal and without the help of any type of record label, management company or big name producers. Ripped Gratification is simply a group of creatives pouring every single fiber of their beings into the music they love.
To that I say, WHOA!!! Commitment, dedication, perseverance…LOVE! That’s what immediately comes to my mind.
In the current era of fast food music, it’s rare I come across any musician who poured this much time and effort into producing the most epic work of art possible. Ripped Gratification is a true example of a magnum opus. In fact, it might be the magnum opus of The Ripping Rivers.
I think I’ve made my point. Ripped Gratification needs to be next on your listening list.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.
