Rain on Fridays is a self-described “emo indie rock” band from San Diego. They’ve released one full length album—Mono Monday—as well as multiple singles, with a new one coming out on March 5. They are also incredibly talented musicians, and have become one of my favorite bands ever after only a couple months of listening.
Mono Monday is a masterpiece of a debut record. The album combines a grungy tone, skillful guitar and drum playing, and fantastic vocals in nine songs with both an overarching cohesive sound and distinct characteristics, which is a fragile balance nonetheless pulled off flawlessly. The songs don’t just sound great, but are also filled with memorable, thoughtful lyrics.
“Superglue Your Shoes” opens the album with a fast-paced description of a past relationship, bringing in amazing layers of background vocals during the slower bridge. “Deceased/Diseased” has some of my favorite vocals from the entire album. “Idiotic Defense” has an amazing contrast between spoken lyrics, sung lyrics, and background vocals, along with an equally amazing guitar piece. “Cola” feels like a summer night spent with friends. “Slumber Party” is the most popular song from the band, and for good reason—it’s insanely catchy. It ends with a seamless transition into “She’s a Snake” and my favorite guitar playing on the album. “Dr. Suess is Crazy Cool” reflects on childhood and has a great drumbeat—“Let’s read about Mulberry Street, and then we’ll cry ourselves to sleep.” “Sharkman” and “Baby’s Guitar” close the album on a more melancholy note.
As absolutely incredible as Mono Monday is, my favorite songs by Rain on Fridays are their singles “Lincoln’s Licorice,” “Hooked,” and “Desperate Invasion.” “Lincoln’s Licorice” starts out slow until the guitar, drums, and the first verse all kick in at once. This song has been at the top of my Spotify On Repeat since I first heard it, I love it so much. “Hooked” is my favorite of the three because of the buildup in intensity from the instruments and the vocals throughout the song until the last line: “It’s been a year, and I still remember the color of your eyes.” “Desperate Invasion” is another song that sounds like summer. The lyric “To see yourself is all that’s left / The mirror’s right there, check, check, check” gets stuck in my head all the time, in the best way possible. The guitar in all three of these songs is especially incredible.
I’d recommend listening to this band to anyone, especially anyone interested in emo/indie/rock music. Rain on Fridays is a fantastic, extremely talented band and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Meg Brown
Picture credits come from: https://rainonfridays.bandcamp.com/album/mono-monday
