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The last several years have been difficult for the indie rock act Rainbow Kitten Surprise. But the band has turned a corner; the recently released Love Hate Music Box represents the group’s first new album in six long years. Since their last album in 2018, they've had to cancel multiple tours as lead singer Ela Melo grappled with mental health issues that left her unable to either perform or write new music. After receiving a bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2022 and announcing that she was transgender, she began to write new material for what would become the 22-song LP.
“Some of the ideas are really old, but for the most part, they came together in the last year or two with [producers] Daniel [Tashian] and Konrad [Snyder] helping to shape the songs,” says guitarist Darrick "Bozzy" Keller via phone from Nashville, where Rainbow Kitten Surprise was prepping for the tour that brings it to Jacobs Pavilion on Tuesday, Sept. 24. “We worked in Nashville at Konrad’s. He’s the best and really stuck with us through the whole process.”
Keller says the album title is “straightforward.”
“It’s about the toxicity of a relationship,” he says. “It’s love and hate and sour and sweet. It’s that toxicity of a relationship and how it affects someone. I don’t know where the ‘music box’ came from. I know Ela was a dance major in college and was inspired on the ballet side and what not. It’s kind of funny because each album has been so different. There’s not really a standard or precedent for it. I’m sure the next album will be totally different too. I think that’s good. It keeps you on your toes and you can’t get complacent and you’re always growing."
With its synthesized bleeps and blips that give way to upper-register vocals, album opener “Peter Pan,” casts a hypnotic, James Blake-like spell.
“That synth loop was really all Ela had to work with at first,” says Keller when asked about the tune. “She worked with [producers] Daniel [Tashian] and Konrad [Snyder]. It was that one synth loop that transformed in a day. It was one of those songs where she was like, ‘I don’t know if it will be finished or if it will make the album.’ Lo and behold, it becomes the first song."
Another album highlight, “Overtime,” features country singer Kacey Musgraves. Her supple voice contrasts with Melo’s ethereal vocals, but the song ultimately comes across as if it’s a gentle lullaby.
“Ela mentioned that she wanted to have a guest sing on that song specifically,” says Keller. “I guess Kacey worked with the same producer as us, so it worked out. When she laid down her vocals, we knew she was the one for that job.”
Keller says he thinks of the shimmering “Superstar” as a “gay trans anthem.”
“I don’t want to speak for anybody, but it has the vibe of ‘I’m free and I’m awesome, and I don’t care what you think.’ It’s about how you can’t hold someone back.”
The band formed ten years ago now and took an eclectic approach from the start.
“I think it’s pretty organic,” says Keller when asked about the group’s sound. “We all met and had different music tastes. We each bring elements from our own styles. When we started out in Boone, NC, it was jamming with an acoustic guitar outside of our dorm rooms. We all loved indie rock. I feel like we could all bring our own flavor to it. For me, it’s Americana and bands like Band of Horses and the Avett Brothers. I even like R&B stuff. I draw from so many different things.”
Keller used to book all the band's shows in the early days and says it wasn’t always easy to get gigs.
“I will never forget; I called every single bar or venue in town and only two ever got back to me,” he says. “The first bar gig was Galileo’s. It was a really cool bar. They had trivia. It was a random day of the week that they would have a band. It was hard, but at the same time, we were in college, so there was always some kind of event. We played charities. It was just getting your name out there.”
The ambitious new album captures so many different moods and so many different styles of music, and Keller says the live show will reflect that.
“I think we’ll continue with the sound of the album,” he says. “Each of these songs sounds so different from each other. And we have a good mix of old songs and new songs. It’ll still the same show that people know and love. We did a two-week tour in May. We played the songs we learned for that tour, and it gave me a new appreciation for the new songs and makes you bond with them ever more and appreciate them even more.”
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“Some of the ideas are really old, but for the most part, they came together in the last year or two with [producers] Daniel [Tashian] and Konrad [Snyder] helping to shape the songs,” says guitarist Darrick "Bozzy" Keller via phone from Nashville, where Rainbow Kitten Surprise was prepping for the tour that brings it to Jacobs Pavilion on Tuesday, Sept. 24. “We worked in Nashville at Konrad’s. He’s the best and really stuck with us through the whole process.”
Keller says the album title is “straightforward.”
“It’s about the toxicity of a relationship,” he says. “It’s love and hate and sour and sweet. It’s that toxicity of a relationship and how it affects someone. I don’t know where the ‘music box’ came from. I know Ela was a dance major in college and was inspired on the ballet side and what not. It’s kind of funny because each album has been so different. There’s not really a standard or precedent for it. I’m sure the next album will be totally different too. I think that’s good. It keeps you on your toes and you can’t get complacent and you’re always growing."
With its synthesized bleeps and blips that give way to upper-register vocals, album opener “Peter Pan,” casts a hypnotic, James Blake-like spell.
“That synth loop was really all Ela had to work with at first,” says Keller when asked about the tune. “She worked with [producers] Daniel [Tashian] and Konrad [Snyder]. It was that one synth loop that transformed in a day. It was one of those songs where she was like, ‘I don’t know if it will be finished or if it will make the album.’ Lo and behold, it becomes the first song."
Another album highlight, “Overtime,” features country singer Kacey Musgraves. Her supple voice contrasts with Melo’s ethereal vocals, but the song ultimately comes across as if it’s a gentle lullaby.
“Ela mentioned that she wanted to have a guest sing on that song specifically,” says Keller. “I guess Kacey worked with the same producer as us, so it worked out. When she laid down her vocals, we knew she was the one for that job.”
Keller says he thinks of the shimmering “Superstar” as a “gay trans anthem.”
“I don’t want to speak for anybody, but it has the vibe of ‘I’m free and I’m awesome, and I don’t care what you think.’ It’s about how you can’t hold someone back.”
The band formed ten years ago now and took an eclectic approach from the start.
“I think it’s pretty organic,” says Keller when asked about the group’s sound. “We all met and had different music tastes. We each bring elements from our own styles. When we started out in Boone, NC, it was jamming with an acoustic guitar outside of our dorm rooms. We all loved indie rock. I feel like we could all bring our own flavor to it. For me, it’s Americana and bands like Band of Horses and the Avett Brothers. I even like R&B stuff. I draw from so many different things.”
Keller used to book all the band's shows in the early days and says it wasn’t always easy to get gigs.
“I will never forget; I called every single bar or venue in town and only two ever got back to me,” he says. “The first bar gig was Galileo’s. It was a really cool bar. They had trivia. It was a random day of the week that they would have a band. It was hard, but at the same time, we were in college, so there was always some kind of event. We played charities. It was just getting your name out there.”
The ambitious new album captures so many different moods and so many different styles of music, and Keller says the live show will reflect that.
“I think we’ll continue with the sound of the album,” he says. “Each of these songs sounds so different from each other. And we have a good mix of old songs and new songs. It’ll still the same show that people know and love. We did a two-week tour in May. We played the songs we learned for that tour, and it gave me a new appreciation for the new songs and makes you bond with them ever more and appreciate them even more.”
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