Manufactured with the foundations of Garage-punk and Blues in mind, Ransack Parade makes a name for themselves as a new, hot-blooded band to watch out for.
Comprised of three Torontonian friends who appealed to the punk-rockers festering within themselves, Johnny Echo, Keenan Soares, and Graydon Foy form a tight-knit troop dedicated to the sounds of amplified and scintillating guitars, bombastic drums, and rumbling basses, like any rock show devotees should be.
Their debut single, "Hollywood Nurse," features that same line-up of characteristic sonics, with an assuring nod at the guitar gods of blues and the lo-fi aesthetics of garage-rock. Versifying about a front-line worker operating from the sink-hole of her own mind, or "Hollywood," in this case, Ransack Parade converges together under their super-amplified atmospheres and saturated adjoining edges, rendering-up like a love-project between Royal Blood and Reign Wolf.
Opening with a jam-like introduction, where Johnny Echo erupts over a cascading array of riffs, and Graydon Foy's anthemic drum fills accent every tailing harmonic in conjunction with Keenan Soares' well-rounded bass tone, "Hollywood Nurse" fires off like a cannonball—without warning or a moment of preparation.
With a tempo that beckons you to stomp your feet and head-bang to the outstanding wall-of-sound diffusing from the Trio's amps, this single stands well-suited for getting behind the wheel and cruising down the freeway at coasting speeds.
By the time they reach the sing-along chorus, chanting, "so say goodbye, don't deny you will never satisfy, she's just looking to survive without wasting all her time," it's almost impossible not to feel like you've been lifted to a higher plain of Rock 'n' Roll's most knee-jerking trends.
There's no shortage of erupting guitar solo, dancing bass-lines, and thundering tom-toms throughout transitions, and from verse to pre-chorus and then to hook, it all feels unified. While it might seem overwhelming to keep track of what each member of Ransack Parade is doing individually, together, as an over-fueled rock engine, they present potent and pure.
If there's one thing left to say about the devoted rockers who make up Ransack Parade, it's that they're sure to be slotted in your "favorites" playlist by the time "Hollywood Nurse" sucker-punches you in the eardrums.
What were some of the primary emotions you aspired to highlight through your instrumental performances on "Hollywood Nurse?"
While creating “Hollywood Nurse” we tried to convey an emotional conflict between frustration and empowerment. The song's protagonist is constantly faced with the decision to be who people want her to be, or to be who she truly wants to be. In the end, she makes the right choice and is true to herself. Instrumentally we tried to create something that paralleled the empowering feeling as the verses are constantly building up to the climactic chorus.
Can you dive into the main narrative behind "Hollywood Nurse"? What does this song mean to you as a band?
"Hollywood Nurse" is a song that follows a young nurse who has just emerged into the medical profession in Hollywood. As she begins looking for employment, she quickly realizes that every job is related to film. Whether it be a script nurse (consultants to TV and film writers) or an actress who portrays a nurse on screen.
Furthermore, the song is about not allowing society to dictate what you can or cannot do. Just because it is popular, doesn’t mean it is right, and we feel that our chorus emphasizes that. "She ain’t no Hollywood Nurse!” As for what this song means to us as a band… this was the first song that we released under the title Ransack Parade and we feel like this song represents our start above all else. It was the start of our meeting so many amazing fans, it was the start of us beginning to connect with other industry professionals, and it was the start of us growing as both musicians and friends who work together.
When it comes to instrumentation, how did you go about making sure the abundance of energy and dynamics coming from each instrumental part didn't take away from the deposition behind "Hollywood Nurse" and its lyrical content?
In “Hollywood Nurse” we tried to use negative space to our advantage. In certain areas of the song, we let the lyrics do the talking and in other areas we let the music do the talking. If a different/interesting melody was introduced lyrically, we would not overcrowd it with instrumentals. Some examples of this can be heard in the first verse (City of lights…) and during the guitar solo. We also tried to use progression to our advantage and never repeat the same thing twice.
If you could prefix the experience behind "Hollywood Nurse" and some of the new music you're working on now, what would you say and why?
"Hollywood Nurse," came into being after months of conceptualizing, writing, and recording. The process started off by recording a demo track into a cheap audio interface that was accompanied by drum loops. It then progressed to live off the floor recordings and eventually found its way into a professional studio. We have been writing lately on Zoom and FaceTime when we feel it’s better to not get together in person. We have been working on a ton of new material and plan to have a new release before 2020 comes to an end!
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
Our inspiration in 2020 has come from our fans as well as our drive to make it in the music industry. Since we formed earlier in October we have met so many amazing people, whether fans or fellow musicians and have made it our business to start connecting with them. We try our best to keep up to date with their music on social media and we try to share their stuff as much as possible. We can’t believe that Ransack Parade has taken off like it has, especially during the times of COVID, and we are super stoked to continue doing what we do.