photo by Sean Hall @ PowerPro Media; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of The Ringer Soundtrack: “In Real Time” and “Voicemail”

Boston’s The Ringer Soundtrack has a sound that’s a blend of pop and alt-rock, and the two singles that have found their way to my inbox in the last year represent different ends of the band’s musical spectrum, from distorted heavy-sounding slow rock (“In Real Time”) to a lighter, poppier version of alt-rock (“Voicemail”).

image courtesy of Knyvet

The Ringer Soundtrack – Mick Coyne (vocals and piano), Brandon Forbes Dalrymple (guitars), and Ross Goodwin (bass) – serve up a modern sound that harkens back to the college rock bands of two or three decades ago, putting their personal spin on a style that’s both timeless and a little underrepresented sonically these days, offering the band a chance to claim its own slice of the modern music landscape… or pie, if I don’t want to mix metaphors.

As much as I stand by the sound comparison, the opening distortion field of “In Real Time” is most decidedly modern, its warped notes opening into a distorted guitar riff that dominates the sound field – the static field seeming impossibly almost visible – before vocals enter more than a minute in, serving up an alt-pop, broad audience appealing, almost radio-friendly tunefulness. The song remains widely accessible, leaning into its pop influence vocally and lyrically while refusing to discard its distorted sacrificial offering to the college guitar rock gods. You’ve heard all of these musical ingredients before, but there’s just something a little unique within the particular recipe of “In Real Time.”

image courtesy of Knyvet

“Voicemail,” meanwhile, deploys less thick (but by no means light) instrumentation and embraces a little more pop-rock bounciness in its music and neatly rhythmic lead vocal cadence. It’s still a little rough around the edges, giving that raw edge you’d expect from a college rock band, and despite the increased nod to pop-rock sensibilities when compared with “In Real Time,” Dalrymple’s guitar riffs are everpresent in “Voicemail,” with the guitar line’s nuances a little more evident thanks to the lack of distortion.

When you listen to both songs, “Voicemail” serves as a nice counterpoint to “In Real Time,” confirming that The Ringer Soundtrack has range, and that’s exactly what you want from a live band (or a long-form recording). It leaves you wanting more.

photo courtesy of The Ringer Soundtrack via Knyvet

More Recently

Speaking of wanting more, just a couple weeks ago, the band provided more with its release of “Signals.” I just gave it a quick listen, as opposed to “In Real Time” and “Voicemail,” which have been part of my review queue for a while now, but “Signals” leans back toward the distorted aura of “In Real Time,” though with its own nuances, obviously. After a quick listen, “Signals” just solidifies my opinion that, if you’re an alt-rock fan, The Ringer Soundtrack ought to be on your radar.