SILENT RIVAL have announced a five date UK tour this April in support of Californian alternative rock band Night Riots. The tour follows the debut SILENT RIVAL album, THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS, released by Listen Loud Records in 2017, and its introductory single, DIE A LITTLE, which Alternative Press touted among its 29 Songs You Need to Hear from last year.
APRIL
Wed 04 GLASGOW King Tuts
Thu 05 MANCHESTER Night & Day
Sat 07 BRISTOL Louisiana
Mon 09 BIRMINGHAM Academy 3
Tue 10 LONDON Camden Assembly
On paper, SILENT RIVAL are an unlikely union. SARA CODA [vocals] JOE RAMIREZ [guitar] and YUTAKA SAO [bass] claim three different countries and countless more musical sensibilities. Born and raised in Orange County, Sara channels the soul of Gladys Knight through Steven Tyler-style swagger and bravado; Joz, hailing from Mexico, draws heavily on 90s British garage-rock punctuated by just the right amount of glam; and Yutaka crossed the Pacific from his Japan homeland to follow his musical dream.
Their debut album has quietly sent shockwaves far beyond West Hollywood, where the band are based, with international radio tastemaker KROQ repeatedly playing the DIE A LITTLE single, and press acclaim coming from all quarters. Frequent touring throughout the USA, including shows with the likes of Thrice and Dreamers, has spread the word further.
“Initially, we bonded over how important it was to make quality music and succeed at it,” says Sara. “From the beginning, it was all about how driven we were, how passionate we were, and how much time we were willing to set aside for music.”
“There’s a great chemistry,” agrees Joz. “I write the music and the melodies, Sara writes the lyrics and Yutaka adds his own elements. As a leader, Sara has so much energy and an almost mystical side to her that you don’t see in other people.”
Matt Wallace [Maroon 5, Sugarcult, Faith No More] instantly caught onto that and produced the debut album with Neil Avron [Twenty-One Pilots, Blink-182] mixing. With a rush of acoustic guitars; waves of monstrous rhythms; the occasional surf-twang that wouldn’t sound out of place on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack; full speed galloping guitars; unmistakable chants; and, of course, Sara’s skyscraper-sized vocals, SILENT RIVAL mesh their styles into a sound that could only be them.
As the band prepare their second album release for later this year, their chemistry should solidify their rising status among modern rock’s vanguard.
“We’re not trying to sell or push anything,” adds Sara. “We don’t want to tell you what to think, what to believe or how to live your life. It’s just music and, hopefully, you enjoy it. We know that we do, and we will continue to regardless of what others deem success to be.”
“It’s really cool that this band has brought together people from different backgrounds to create something unique,” concludes Joz. “The fact that we get to travel around together and play shows together, there’s nothing more fulfilling than that.”
