The roots of New Jersey indie rock quartet Rigbi begin all the way back in 1998, when four tweens began to explore their own musical predispositions and inspirations. They just didn’t know each other yet. Singer/guitarist Jon Irizarry, drummer Brian Cornish, bassist Randy Sabo, and keyboardist (and glockspielist?) Pat Maloney didn’t actually meet and become Rigbi until sometime in early 2011. But once everyone was onboard and a name chosen the four guys began creating pop-oriented indie rock that was stocked full of catchy melodies and danceable rhythms. Taking the Afro-pop sensibilities of a band like Vampire Weekend and smashing it together with the slick pop production of Weezer — but you know, “Blue Album” Weezer — Rigbi mold songs that’ll have you dissecting the lyrics while dislocating your hip on the dance floor. The band is gearing up now for the release of their latest record, Visionary, on February 18th.
For our first taste of Visionary, Rigbi offer us the upbeat pop gem, “It’s Elementary,” a song that borrows liberally from Local Natives’ indie pop/rock playbook and adds a dash of Cults’ melodic hipshaking tendencies but remarkably still feels and sounds like the product of a band who have the ability to add their own creative twists to the genre. But this is pop music — both in sound and approach. Rigbi aren’t interested in subtlety or masking their influences. “It’s Elementary” lives and breathes on the strength of the band’s devotion and adherence to their own musical preferences, and their dedication to their musical heroes pays off in spades. The song wraps itself around your ears and cocoons them with breezy melodies and Irizarry’s expressive voice. And despite the fact that the song draws from a handful of other artists, the band never allows it to fall into cheap imitation or rote caricature. This is the sound of Rigbi, and it’s a sound with whom you’ll want to become very familiar.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the lead single, “It’s Elementary,” from Rigbi’s upcoming album, Visionary.
