Russ Rankin Releases New Single STARRY EYES Ahead of A SEASON IN HELL EP
The Good Riddance frontman reworks the power-pop classic with heavier guitars and hardcore-influenced intensity.
Russ Rankin, frontman of Good Riddance, has shared new single 'Starry Eyes.' It's the second offering from his upcoming solo EP, A SEASON IN HELL, out everywhere September 25th via Indecision Records.
Rankin puts his own spin on The Records' 1979 hit single 'Starry Eyes,' transforming the power-pop classic into a faster, heavier rendition that reflects his own hardcore roots. While retaining the melody and infectious hook that made the original so enduring, Rankin injects the track with a newfound urgency, trading some of its jangly brightness for driving guitars, increased intensity, and a harder-edged delivery. The result is a modernized take that pays homage to the original while making the song unmistakably his own.
'This was a song I heard while listening to First Wave on SiriusXM and, for the rest of that day, I was unable to get the hook out of my head,' he shares. 'After a little investigating, I found out it was by a band (The Records) who never really had any other 'hits,' per se, and I found that in itself intriguing. I heard the song several more times on the same station and I fell in love with it. It became a mission for me to learn it on guitar and play it all the time and, finally, to try to record my own take on it.'
A SEASON IN HELL consists of three new original songs alongside three covers. The EP reconnects Rankin with the style that first established him, while offering his own take on a handful of classics by The Records, The Avengers, and Leon Rosselson (arranged and popularized by Billy Bragg).
'Adam Gomez took care of the drumming, while I played all the other instruments and did all the vocals. I had written these songs that maybe didn't suit Good Riddance, and then there were these cover songs I kept finding myself drawn to, so I decided to record all of it,' explains Rankin.
Tracklist
March 8th
A Rising Tide
What Brand Of Hell
Cheap Tragedies
Starry Eyes
The World Turned Upside Down
About Russ Rankin
Russ Rankin is a singer, songwriter, columnist, poet, and screenwriter from Santa Cruz, CA.
He is best known as the vocalist for seminal hardcore band Good Riddance, as well as the vocalist for Only Crime.
He has also released two solo albums and performs his own original songs acoustically.
He has been a columnist & op-ed writer for such publications as AMP, Razorcake, Alternative Press, The Washington Times, and others.
In 2023, Rankin released his first poetry collection, 'Pure Few Hearts,' on Thera Books.
Photo Credit: Lindsey Lutts | Download Press Photo
Photo Credit: Lindsey Lutts | Download Press Photo
