Every Summer, I get even more partial to so-called “vintage rock”. Because somehow that groovy, bluesy type of rock music really personifies a summery vibe to me. Music that makes you smile, makes you feel good and want to drive around in your car with the windows cracked open, wind blowing through your hair. One such band is most definitely the Belgian/Dutch jammers of RRRags. And now they’re back just in time for Summer with their second album ‘High Protein’…

RRRags has based its formation on the classic power trios from rock’s history and much of their music hails its clear influences from those bands. Throughout the album you’ll easily catch them sounding similar to oldies like Grand Funk Railroad, Blue Cheer and Cream, perfectly emulating that bluesy sound from the 60s and 70s including jam moments, a gritty & fuzzy sound, and of course a whole bunch of uplifting energetic grooves. Drummer Rob Martin fulfills the main vocal duties and even those fit in perfectly with the overall vintage sound.

Despite its overall very consistent vintage/heavy rock sound, there is plenty of variation to discover throughout the eight tracks on this album. ‘The Fridge‘ has an opening that reminds me of The Who somehow and then frolics into the bluesy rock realms of Cream with rhythms that’ll make you want to move to the music instantly. Which warms you up perfectly for ‘Messin‘, which is easily the fastest and most energetic track of the bunch. It comes in, hits hard and leaves again before you know it with driving drums, grooving bass and blistering guitar bits. And I haven’t even touched yet on the infectious hooks of the songs. Songs like ‘Sad Sanity‘ and ‘Demons Dancing‘ will crawl into your head and take up a spot there for quite a while after hearing them.

But besides all the upbeat fun, RRRags has also found some room for more gloomy and brooding productions with for instance their longest track ‘Dark Is The Day’. Which is one long elongated soulful track you’ll find yourself softly rocking to and fits in perfectly in the middle of their record. And it makes the next song, ‘Sugarcube‘, stick out even more with its strongly distorted guitar sound that somehow reminds me of the craziness that Jimi Hendrix often was. A similar vibe gets brought by for instance ‘Hellfire’.

In the trend of bringing back the 60s and 70s sound that arose some years ago, RRRags manages to carve out a very solid spot of their own. ‘High Protein’ brings everything that the album title promises: heavy rock from a power trio that definitely stocked up on some protein to be able to knock you off your feet. It’s groovy, bluesy, gritty, at times mean and at times loving and caring but all great fun. For me personally the perfect soundtrack for the Summer or a road trip in the sun and I’m pretty sure many will agree with this.

FFO: Cream, Blue Cheer, Grand Funk Railroad, The Vintage Caravan,…

Release date: May 29th, 2020
Label: Lay Bare Recordings
Tracklist:

1. The Fridge
2. Messin
3. Sad Sanity
4. Dark is The Day
5. Sugarcube
6. Demons Dancing
7. Hellfire
8. Window

We also had a chat with Rob Martin, the drummer and lead vocalist of RRRags about this album and their music, make sure you go check that out as well: