The Realbads, “Cutie Boys”

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From Ithaca, NY; meet The Realbads who combine the sweetest album rock songwriting approaches with self-described spiritual cues from Sailor Moon and Star Trek. Cartoon bright instrumentation [heard previously on “Prom Night“] and sci-fi sympathies play into a band made up of sister and brother, Isabel on guitar and vocals, guitarist Silas Reidy, with percussionist Chris Ploss and bassist Mike Amadeo who release their full-length debut, Here Come The Realbads October 28 from Sweet Baby God Records. On the premiere of The Realbads’ “Cutie Boys”, warm hearts wonder about the lavish lifestyles of privileged darlings.

Like the theme composed for a popular YA fiction title turned film, or a manga graphic novel turned animated television program; “Cutie Boys” creates that anticipated sense of patient waiting, and looking for a like-minded beauty. The Reidy siblings strum along the chords that make up the underscored theme of the song, brought to rhythmic life and motion from Chris and Mike. The search for the mythic-level-status “Cutie Boys” are conveyed in Isabel’s wistful-wishing delivery expressed in a lyrical longing mirrored in the melodic and moody arrangement. Isabel leads the song in a grand narrative that traces back the faces of glamorous cliques, ponders making phone call moves, questions the thoughts of their character(s), singing out the sketches of doted on inspirations written and drawn from heart sketched characters.

Isabel Riedy elaborated on the process of making this song, while drafting up a comic book at the same time:

I wrote “Cutie Boys” when I was working on my most recent comic book Powder Shiver. I had this idea to make a book of what I have always secretly loved drawing—Sailor Moon fan art, long princess hair, and bright girly colors. The two happened simultaneously, I was drawing all of this cutesy stuff and then I wrote this cutesy riff and then I made the comic book about the song. It was one of the most creatively satisfying experiences I’ve ever had. When I took it to the band Silas got that great cartoon theme song guitar sound, and Chris and Mike got this disco vibe happening. For some reason I always end up listening to The Bee Gees (actually, just Andy Gibb’s “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” on repeat) when I’m really down, it was fun being able to incorporate some of that stuff. We knew we had something good when Chris’s tiny dog Phoebe came downstairs while we were working on it and started howling along. That was magic.

Here Come The Realbads will be available October 28 from Sweet Baby God Records.