Red Ribbon’s Emma Danner discovered that rock ‘n’ roll can be utilitarian with “Your Car,” the lead single from the Seattle group’s upcoming debut album, Dark Party, premiering exclusively below.
The breezy, slightly gauzy pop track does come with some serious lyrical intent. “That song is generally about loss and grief but keeping forward momentum and realizing that our time is limited,” Danner tells Billboard. “There’s an urgency that creates, a need to complete something, a need to move forward. Sometimes it may be misguided, but all we can do is attempt to make connections with one another.”
“Your Car” helped Danner — who founded Red Ribbon during 2012 — make some different kinds of connections, too. The cover for the single, distributed via social media, doubled as an ad for Danner’s 1999 Honda Accord, which she sold last month to a 16-year-old for its $1,000 asking price. “It’s her first car, so she’s really excited,” Danner says. “I got a cool $1,000, so that will fuel the tour. You do what you have to do, y’know? I think it’s good to have a sense of humor with stuff.”
Red Ribbon’s album Dark Party, produced by Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Earth), comes out Sept. 28 (premiering above), with the group hitting the road Oct. 3 in Portland for a short West Coast run. The sound is unabashedly pop; Danner works days at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, and she dismisses any stigma that might be attached to the term.
“My main goal with music, and life, is just to try and connect with people — I think that’s kind of what pop is,” she explains. “I don’t know how many people will hear my record. I hope they hear it and like it and stuff. I think it’s pretty. It has a wide variety of influences. I think pop music has a big focus on listeners and sharing and connecting with people. It’s kind of a vague genre, and I like that.”
Tour Dates
10/3 Portland, OR @ Liquor Store
10/4 Ellensburg, WA @ Old Skools
10/5 Boise, ID @ Neurolux w/ Sun Blood Stories
10/6 Missoula, MT @ Venue TBD Ghost Carrot Records Presents
10/8 Oakland, CA @ Octopus Literary Salon
10/9 Carlsbad, CA @ Exrealist Lhooq Lhooqbooks w/ Gift Machine
10/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Harvard & Stone
10/11 Chico, CA @ Naked Lounge
10/12 Arcata, CA @ Miniplex
10/13 Bend, OR @ J&M Tavern w/ Helga