Producer/musician Nick Rattigan has steadily released each single via a video from diverse filmmakers, giving every track a unique visual identity -- watch / share final track "SWEPT AWAY" directed by Otium
Performing in NYC Nov 18 + Intimate Hometown LA Release Show Nov 21 at Milky's
photo by Alexis Gross
Watch: "CHAOS" (by Jaxon Ray @whitetrashwarrior), "WILDFIRE" (by Justin Kaminuma), "HOLE" (by Davis Stewart), "blood on the stereo" (self), "KNIGHT OF SWORDS" (by Karsten Elliot Taylor), "SUFFERER" (self), "skinamarink on the tv" (Neve Abcari), "HALLOWEEN" (self)
ROSEBUD is a departure. But then, every Current Joys record is. Over time, the solo project of producer/artist and Surf Curse drummer Nick Rattigan, Current Joys has encompassed anywhere from folksy acoustic music inspired by the Grateful Dead to noisy hyperpop, darkwave, and anything else caught in Rattigan’s dragnet of curiosity. With ROSEBUD, an album of anthemic choruses and maximalist production, Rattigan looks to nu metal, electronica, hip-hop, emo and more to inspire his latest collection of songs.
ROSEBUD is out today via Rattigan's own imprint They Are Evil, in partnership with Stem. Over the past few months he has steadily revealed each track in order accompanied by a music video from different filmmakers, giving every song a unique identity within the visual world of ROSEBUD. It's a throwback to his early days of uploading The Nicholas Project and TELE/VISIONS tracks to Bandcamp at freewill, and a tribute to the profound artistic freedom ROSEBUD represents. Check out its final video "SWEPT AWAY" directed by Otium:
watch / share "SWEPT AWAY" official music video | playlist here
Rattigan's career has soared: Triple-Platinum and Gold Record certifications, a member of Spotify’s Billions Club via Surf Curse, extensive global tours, 8 studio albums, 5 EPs, countless singles and collabs with the likes of Lil Yachty (“Gatsby”), Polo Perks, Matt Proxy (“God”), etc. and now his own hit “Kids”, which initially went viral 11 years ago, has reemerged alongside “Televisions” in this year’s cult horror film ‘Obsession’ – all under his belt at just 33.
Initially, ROSEBUD was a bummer. Rattigan wrote and recorded it while going through a difficult period, and he found himself sitting on half an hour of slowcore songs he could barely stomach. Meanwhile, he was getting his mind blown by the high-concept production of experimental hip-hop artists and cheered himself up working with rappers like Lil Yachty, Polo Perks, Ayooli, and others. It was while doing production and vocals during a session with Matt Proxy’s that Rattigan met Danny Dwyer, the producer who goes by the name never goodbye (“the most beautiful producer in the world,” as Rattigan puts it). Watching Dwyer dial in “God”’s carnivalesque track—which sounds like two or three songs on top of one another, plus seagulls—was a revelation for Rattigan. He sent Dwyer some of the sad-boi songs he’d been sitting on and together they reworked them, adding glitches, screams, foamy curtains of distortion, and whatever else they could think of.
The ROSEBUD you’ll hear soon is a completely different record from the one Rattigan began with, and from anything else in his catalog. It’s punchy. It’s full of big pop hooks shouted through layers of static, sticky OC punk chord progressions twisted and chewed up by digital manipulation.
At times, Rattigan turns his maximalist ethos on its head, producing exceptionally tender songs made even softer by the unexpected production choices. There are moments throughout ROSEBUD, when the vulnerability at the album’s core begins to reshape all of the sound that’s piled on top of it. But throughout Rattigan calmly plucks out supremely bummed arpeggios on his guitar. No matter how loud the song gets, that guitar line seems to hang in space, a weird bit of human persistence and resilience in the face of overwhelming dissonance.
Rattigan’s always allowed his interests and curiosity to guide how he makes his music—his falling in love with Lil Peep’s music greatly influenced Love + Pop—but ROSEBUD feels like an encapsulation of everything he’s done in his career, even as it sounds very little like any of his previous records. Nu metal, screamo, electronica, hip-hop, power-pop, emo, darkwave—it’s a rush of signifiers. “I wanted it to be a collage of all of my influences,” It’s obvious that bringing together so many different ideas has brought Rattigan to a new level of inspiration.
listen / playlist / buy ROSEBUD
Current Joys has confirmed two official ROSEBUD record release shows. He performs Wednesday, November 18 at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn and hosts an intimate hometown show on Saturday, November 21 at Milky’s in Los Angeles. For tickets and more info, go here.
Current Joys Live Dates:
Nov 18: Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
Nov 21: Los Angeles, CA - Milky’s (SOLD OUT)
May 14-16: Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Block Party
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