In a world of constant evolution, nothing is Futureproof. That’s according to The Rare Occasions, at least.
The decorated Providence-turned-Boston band unleash their theory about the times ahead and what will last on their new EP, named after the engineering term. The follow-up to 2014’s Feelers and last year’s singles “An Actuary Retires” and “Aglow”, Futureproof, which we are premiering today and streamable via the Soundcloud below, marks the next step in the quartet’s fine-tuning of indie romps and distinctly modern garage rock sounds, a sharpened skill that in 2014 netted them “Song of the Year” from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
For Futureproof, the floppy disk branded on the EP’s cover art speaks volumes.
“‘Futureproofing’ is this engineering buzzword that means designing something to work for a long time in a world where standards, code, and connectors are always becoming obsolete,” singer Brian McLaughlin tells Vanyaland. “The song is about the inevitability of the passing of time, and how no matter how much you want something to be ‘futureproof’ and last forever, change is unavoidable. It’s a call to keep moving rather than try to wish an obsolete thing — whether it be a relationship, a job, or whatever — back into relevance.”
From the springy chorus of the title track to the slinky edge of “Notion,” the group’s fourth EP marks another definitive step towards their indie-underground cred. Closing track “Bug Eyes” arrives as a departure from the group’s usual infectious spunk, unveiling itself as a down-tempo stew with backwards glockenspiel and sine waves sent through a fuzz pedal. “I’ve noticed that all the songs that have really hit me emotionally share a very specific way of unfolding — there are certain lyrical details and patterns that are common to all of them,” says McLaughlin. “This song was our attempt at recreating that with our own music.”
“Bug Eyes” is also the only track on the EP totally produced by the band themselves; the other songs were mixed and co-produced Steve Sacco. “With every release we try and one-up ourselves,” McLaughlin says. “With this EP we were really focused on writing hooks, layering hooks on top of one another so that everything you hear is catchy. We also tried to weave the same lyrical themes into each song — they all deal with the fleeting nature of time in one way or another.”
Resistant to how the times are a-changin’ or not, the band sums up existence and relationships in a single quip on ‘Loans’: “It doesn’t matter/You’re screwed either way.”
The Rare Occasions debut Futureproof at the Middle East in Cambridge next Saturday, August 13, another stellar Lysten Boston bill with Le Roxy Pro, Amy & The Engine, and All Eyes on Me. Starting tonight for a Sofar Sounds session in New York, the band takes the new tracks on the road for a mini seven-date tour that also hits Providence’s AS220 on Saturday. Listen to the EP in full below.
The Rare Occasions Live:
8.4 // New York, NY // Sofar Sounds
8.5 // Bethlehem, PA // Musikfest
8.6 // Providence, RI // AS220
8.8 // Hamden, CT // The Space
8.11 // Syracuse, NY // Funk n Waffles
8.12 // New York, NY // Rockwood Music Hall
8.13 // Cambridge, MA // Middle East Upstairs
