The indie-alt-rock-pop band born in North Carolina plays GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Sunday. Guitarist Darrick “Bozzy” Keller chats with Local Spins about the band’s evolution and a new album in the works.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise: The band brings its North American tour to Grand Rapids this weekend. (Photo/Jimmy Fontaine)
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Rainbow Kitten Surprise emerged from a dorm room in 2013 and into the hearts of listeners with their soul-baring lyrics and entrancing melodies.
Formed in Boone, N.C., on the campus of Appalachian State University by Ela Melo and Darrick “Bozzy” Keller, the alt-rock/indie-rock/pop band’s eccentricity and energy, both live and recorded, has garnered a global fan base.
Over the course of the last twelve years, there have been significant highs and lows. In 2023, the band canceled American and European tours due to a medical crisis with one of its members, and emphasized the group’s prioritization of health and well-being.
It’s through those turbulent times, and waves of evolution, artistically and personally, that RBK has slowed down and turned inward.
“It’s definitely been a learning experience. I feel like when we started this thing, over 10 years ago, we didn’t know how to support each other and that’s something that we had to learn throughout the years,” Bozzy says in a recent phone interview.
“I feel like COVID was hard on everybody, especially in the music industry and then, there have been other interpersonal struggles and just growth, really. We’ve really learned how to lean on each other. Band therapy helps a lot too. Mental health is really important.”
Leaning on Each Other: Rainbow Kitten Surprise (Photo/Jimmy Fontaine)
Rainbow Kitten Surprise performs at GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Sunday (May 18). Tickets, $83, are available online here. Doors open at 7 p.m., with New Translations opening the show.
Early on, RKS recorded their first EP, “Mary,” in a dorm and released music for free on Bandcamp under a student-run record label, Split Nail Records. Eventually, with that method becoming too costly for the band, the group uploaded their music to streaming services, and caught a powerful wave of early algorithms and playlists.
Meanwhile, RKS’s live performances were catching fire, including sold-out shows at clubs around the country and major festival slots at Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits.
With the albums, “RKS” and “How To: Friend, Love, Freefall,” the band delivered lyrical content that is both turbulent and honest, through a gritty choir of voices.
“I mean, I think one strength I would say is being very vocally driven. I’ve always loved that about our music. When we originally recorded all the first albums, we were adding more voices to make it more dynamic,” says Bozzy.
Now based in Nashville, RKS released their fourth studio album, “Love Hate Music Box,” in 2024. The synth-laden, deeply personal collection of songs documents lead vocalist Melo’s journey through difficult times. (The band also released a new single, “Espionage,” in February. Listen to that below.)
“I mean, that process had many shapes and forms. The last album was six years worth of material. We had all these different versions of songs. I’m not kidding you, we have hundreds of songs on a hard drive,” says Bozzy.
“But this album that we’re finishing up now is a lot more concise, you know, it’s not six years worth of stuff. It’s a year of material taking shape, and it takes different forms, since we are all creative and we’re always tinkering with stuff.
“We’re excited to finish it up and put it out into the world. I hope it comes through the speakers and feels like it’s familiar to the ears. I want people to feel the eternal gratitude that I have to be able to do this.”
VIDEO: Rainbow Kitten Surprise, “Superstar”
LISTEN: Rainbow Kitten Surprise, “Espionage”
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