{"title":"Rays","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"rays","title":"Rays","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn Rays' debut album the band spins eleven tunes of wiry, urgent post-punk, one foot planted firmly in the nihilistic apathy of 70 and 80's punk (Wire, Electric Eels, Pere Ubu, Eno, Television The Fall), Australian punk past and present (UV Race, Terry, Victims, Babeez), and the addictive strum of 80's and 90's New Zealand \/ Flying Nun pop; all of whom have found their own way to meld the ferocity and thuggery of punk with a singular melodic voice. Rays are no different; the swirling jangle of \u003ci\u003eAttic\u003c\/i\u003e starts the album off, sardonically extolling the joy of 'attic life' with Hannan's monotone conveying an underlying sense of dread \u0026amp; isolation. \u003ci\u003eDead Man's Curve\u003c\/i\u003e, with it's hook-filled, organ-laden chorus plays like a lost teenage tragedy song, celebrating the desperation \u0026amp; angst of reckless youth. Elsewhere, tunes like \u003ci\u003eTheatre of Lunacy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMade of Shadows\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDrop Dead\u003c\/i\u003e rage with a desperate fire, speaking to the absurdities of everyday life, but with a wry smile. Shit is fucked, but the members of RAYS seem intent on finding humor within the world's everyday desperation, because sometimes that's the only way to stay sane. \u003ci\u003ePain and Sorrow\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBack Downtown\u003c\/i\u003e all speak to these truths. The album ends with Hannon's \u003ci\u003eOver and Over\u003c\/i\u003e, it's sweet melody belying a derisive outlook on the necessity of modern life and the repetition it requires. Throughout it all, Rays' debut never feels angry, Recorded by Bay-area stalwart Kelley Stoltz and mastered by Australian tone-genius Mikey Young (Total Control \/ Eddy Current Suppression Ring) Rays is a joyous album packed with weird new-wave swirls and sugar-sticky hooks. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP -Limited Yellow Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Trouble In Mind","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50495405031755,"sku":"1008317","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/6e10b775-b1f3-4e33-919c-f9341009eb24_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727710924"},{"product_id":"you-can-get-there-from-here","title":"You Can Get There From Here","description":"\u003cp\u003eOakland band Rays return with their second album, \u003ci\u003eYou Can Get There From Here,\u003c\/i\u003e their first release since their eponymous Trouble In Mind debut in 2016. \u003ci\u003eYou Can Get There From Here\u003c\/i\u003e represents a turning point for the band, angling their scrappy, post-punk fury into a more refined and melodic pop sensibility, drawing inspiration from UK DIY pop and punk like Dolly Mixture, Cleaners From Venus and Television Personalities. Songs like \u003ci\u003eFallen Stars\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Garden\u003c\/i\u003e temper their sonic crunch ever so slightly, relying more on the harmonic wallop of a solid hook than the sheer volume of guitars. This is urgent, chiming guitar pop that clangs with a sonorous melancholy and a ramshackle grace. Rays can still lay it down with the rest of 'em; tunes like \u003ci\u003eSubway\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWork of Art\u003c\/i\u003e shuffle and stumble forward, skirting chaos in a flurry of strums, recalling antipodean groups like UV Race or Dick Diver who cull inspiration from idiosyncratic UK greats like Mark E. Smith or Robyn Hitchcock.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Black Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP+ - Limited Red Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Trouble In Mind","offers":[{"title":"LP.","offer_id":50497861058891,"sku":"1047252","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50497860141387,"sku":"1047250","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50497861845323,"sku":"1047251","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/20696762-683d-49c5-b9e5-79ecd79ee388_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727734122"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/rays.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}