The ever-growing amount of musicians finding their footing on social media together with the rise of DIY artists have created a new set of collectives and individuals. No, longer are bands defined by the scene they belong to and are able to experience their artistry without the boundaries previously known as genre. One of the bands that excel in straying away from the norm is Rain On Fridays. The San Diego duo capture their style as “emo, indie, rock” yet are amendment, that to define oneself in a genre is not possible for a modern band. As they don’t believe in the structures once set up by the music industry, Rain on Fridays have created an atmosphere full of vibrant, openness and utmost possibility.
“I like to listen to a million different genres so I also want to write music that could fit into a million different ones,”, explains Madi Coe, the lead singer of the band. For Rain on Fridays, to share their art with other people is their main aspiration, while big ambitions aren‘t really for them, with their motto holding the rather positive mentality of “whatever happens happens”. Yet, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t involved with the reality of what it is like to be an artist today, especially as being a female-fronted band.
The past year and a half, Rain on Fridays alongside, the rest of us haven’t been able to go out and be unified by music, therefore, finding refuge in social media. A thing that can be toxic for some yet seem to have only had positive effects on their psyche. “It’s been the coolest thing ever,”, the duo admits, whilst telling some stories about how they have been able to make deep connections with people over their music and even going as far as saying that those conversations have made them hash over emotions they might otherwise not have been able to show.
Sadly, not their entire career has been going over as smoothly, admitting that they have had some bumps in the road, reflecting about what it is like to be a female-fronted band in an industry still dominated by men. The duo, that once met in a high school music class, amplify that an important part of their personas is to fight the imbalance in the music industry in the best way that they can. Whilst also actively trying to make changes between the dynamic of gender in the rock scene. “I’ve been listening and finding a lot more small artists, mainly female or non-binary artists because I want to put my stream somewhere where it matters and music that I can actually connect with,” expresses lead guitarist, Jess Miller making a point of the dire situation starting musicians are in because of the way streaming services are paying their artists.
The wave of sexual abuse allegations that came out of the California indie scene last year tormented Rain on Fridays. They had to rethink the people they listened to and immediately made Coe and Miller take action and delete all of “the fuckers” in their Spotify library. To them, it is clear “there is no point in supporting bad people when there are so many underappreciated artists who deserve the attention more than abusive assholes,”, going on to say that even hearing abusers’ music makes them uncomfortable.
That kind of powerful energy is what leads to social change and that is also noticeable in their energetic music. Rain on Fridays cover a wide arrange of emotions in their discography whilst always letting the listener revel in what they’re feeling, making the band, music and the listener become one. And if someone wondered what makes Rain on Fridays stand out in the abundance of musicians, they‘d just need to take a closer look and see that what makes them special is the ability to not give a damn about how they are perceived yet still show off the passion and love they have for the music and their supporters.
Follow Rain on Fridays on Instagram, Twitter and Spotify.
Written by: Lauren Dehollogne
GEM Magazine 