Rise Records owner Craig Ericson probably hears more bands in a given year than most people we know. Running a successful record label with an, ahem, diverse roster (what’s up, Hot Water Music; sorry, I can’t talk right now, Crown the Empire) equates to many, many hours pouring over new tunes. Surprisingly, one of Ericson’s favourite albums right now isn’t by a band on his own label, but rather a group from Baltimore, Maryland that’s been catching his ear for quite some time now.
Ericson: This is good timing. I was being sarcastic with my top 10 list of 2014 and I only posted three albums. I was making a point that I only had three. And one of those was Pianos Become the Teeth‘s Repine; that album is fucking awesome. So that’s been on non-stop rotation for like two months.
What is it about that album that does it for you?
Boy, it’s just that music that I like; that ’90s, I hate to say the word “emo,” but it’s more that post-hardcore, hardcore kids that stopped playing hardcore and play softer music. I love it, man. It’s so mesmerizing and the lyrics are on point. And I’m a guitar player, so I always pay attention to the guitars, and they sound perfect on this. It’s just a really good album.
Are they a band that you hope could someday be on your label?
Well, they just signed to Epitaph, so I can only imagine that they are locked in for awhile. We’ve tried to sign bands like La Dispute and Touché Amoré but it never ended up happening. But we love those type of bands and always want a diverse roster. That’s the kind of music that we listen to at Rise Records’ office.
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