Raavi - "Thursday" (Demo)
One of our favorite Boston-area bands is now one of our favorite New York City acts! In addition to dropping “Houseplants” from their moniker last year, the quintet, (who are fronted by songwriter Raavi Sita) relocated to beautiful Brooklyn, New York. They’ve gotten acclimated to the scene pretty quickly, playing a handful of shows at city staples like The Broadway and Pianos since their arrival last summer. While the band continues to work on their next EP, they’re sharing a demo of their song “Thursday,” which will appear on the soon-to-be-released DIM Comp Vol. 3.
The demo version of “Thursday” gives listeners a rare look at a gorgeous track in its infancy. Raavi’s distinctive brand of midwest emo-influenced indie rock continues to shine brightly on “Thursday,” and the bare-bones demo quality of the recording allows for a certain behind the scenes look into the band’s creative evolution, as when comparing “Thursday” to songs like 2021’s “Major Tool” or 2020’s “Sticky,” there’s decidedly less of an emphasis on the kind of noodly, twin-guitar math-rock riffs that defined some of their previous releases. Instead, the sturdy chord progression and Raavi’s yearning vocals serve as the focal points for a sonic trip that feels simultaneously mellow and vulnerable. Raavi’s sharp and emotive singing definitely has the effect of eliciting certain feelings from the listener, making “Thursday” quite the active listening experience - a testament to this young band’s already well-honed songwriting chops.
It’s always enjoyable to hear an early draft of a song from a band that you’re acquainted with, as from listening, you can start to imagine what the final version will sound like. At the same time, it allows for pleasant surprises when the album cut eventually drops, allowing you to marvel at the creative tweaks that the band ultimately incorporates. According to a recent Facebook post, a further developed version of “Thursday” is a current staple in the band’s live sets, so we can’t wait to see how this already great song has further grown and evolved.
DIM Comp Vol. 3. is the third charity compilation cassette released by Brooklyn imprint DIM Things. In addition to Raavi, the compilation also features contributions from Dig Nitty, Josephine Network, Scout Gillett, Petite League, War Violet, Fat Trout Trailer Park, Sweetbreads, Karaoke Mood Killer, Bat Kid, Noverb, CS Cleaners, and more. Proceeds from sales of the tape benefit The Ridgewood Tenants Union, which is an all-volunteer and tenant-led anti-gentrification group. You can pre-order the compilation via Bandcamp. It drops on Friday, February 4th.
“Thursday” will appear on Raavi’s forthcoming EP, which is scheduled for release in May. You can check out their music via Bandcamp. It’s also all streaming platforms. Keep up with the band on Facebook and Instagram.
