Unless you live near the northeast portion of the I-95 corridor, you probably only know New Brunswick, N.J., as the home to Rutgers University. But despite its small population (it’s the 27th largest city in Jersey), it’s had a pretty amazing music scene for a number of decades now, from big names (Bon Jovi, the Smithereens, Thursday and the Bouncing Souls hail from the area) to indie and punk bands playing in bars and basements before garnering national attention (Gaslight Anthem, Screaming Females, Streetlight Manifesto and Midtown to name but a few). Tomorrow, you can add the Rareflowers to the list of notable New Brunswickers, as the trio will release its self-titled debut EP via Good Eye.
The Rareflowers are a power-pop trio led by vocalist/guitarist Jimmy Maraday with his brother Kane on bass and Aaron Gollubier on drums. Though the four-track EP is just the band’s second release (it follows a self-released split single), the Maradays and Gollubier have been knocking around the New Brunswick basement scene for a while now, which is where they met Matthew Molnar (Friends, Kissing Is A Crime), who they tapped to produce The Rareflowers. In fact, the trio and Molnar worked so well together that they’ve already started on a full-length.
The closing “Shake” is probably the highpoint of the EP, but all four songs showcase a sharp attention to songwriting and dreamy, layered sound not expected from a debut release. According to Kane, “This record is unique to us because it’s a reflection of experiences we’ve shared as a band and the high energy of the scene at the time. At one point, we were hearing so many good groups, both locally and around the world, making their own original sounds. Matt Molnar helped us to realize that we had just that. It only took a few sessions with him to figure out the sound we were going for in the Rareflowers.”
Listening to the EP, you can definitely hear that the band and Molnar found what they were looking for. We’re proud to premiere The Rareflowers today on magnetmagazine.com. Check it out now, and catch the trio July 13 at Sunnyvale in Brooklyn for an all-ages show with Tioga and Vassals.
