The Rupert Selection deliver seismic sonic thunder with ‘I Saw God’
Photo Credit: Peter McManus
The Rupert Selection deliver seismic sonic thunder with ‘I Saw God’
Boston alt-rock trio debuts the video on Wednesday, May 17
OUT NOW: Watch the ‘I Saw God’ video on YouTube
New music produced by Brian Charles set for release later this year
NOW PLAYING: Listen to ‘I Saw God’ on Spotify
BOSTON, Mass. [May 24, 2023] -- Whenever a band releases a new song with a title like “I Saw God,” it’s easy to seek any type of meaning or inspiration behind it. But you won’t necessarily find that here with The Rupert Selection, who unleashed their latest dose of seismic sonic thunder to the streams in early May, with the track’s official music video set to debut on Wednesday, May 17.
“I like the idea of keeping the interpretation of this one as vague and open-ended as possible,” admits guitarist and vocalist Reilly Somach, who penned the “I Saw God” lyrics. “Whatever the listener perceives as being God within the song, that’s what it is.”
It’s also a single that finds the Massachusetts alt-rock and psychedelic grunge band – rounded out by bassist Sam Bouvé and drummer Peter W. Bartash – expanding its aural arsenal, clocking in at an economical 146 seconds in length and wasting exactly no time in reaching cruising altitude. Produced and mixed by Brian Charles and recorded at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, “I Saw God” marks the band’s first new music of 2023, following the Bandcamp Friday release back in February of a pair of late-2022 singles. It’s the start of a continuous cycle of new releases for The Rupert Selection, who will unveil a series of singles before a new full-length album hits either in late summer or early autumn.
That release date probably depends on when the ground stops shaking after this latest effort.
“‘I Saw God’ is a continuation of us trying to evolve and push our creative boundaries, trying new things and seeing how far our sound can go,” Somach says, before issuing a sort-of mantra that can double for the the band’s overall creative vision: “Keep everything progressing, but keep it still familiar enough to our roots.”
Those roots have helped position The Rupert Selection as one of Boston’s more exciting, and unpredictable bands. Previous single “Astronauts” landed on DigBoston’s Best of 2022 roundup, which alongside companion track “Then Again” earned the band comparisons to ‘90s-era guitar-rock luminaries like Hum, Soundgarden, and Smashing Pumpkins. They scored back-to-back Rock Artist of The Year nominations in the 2018 and 2019 Boston Music Awards after upending the 2017 Rock and Roll Rumble with a spirited run to the finals, the same year WGBH named them one of 10 bands “on the rise” in Boston.
But despite the growing accolades and attention, The Rupert Selection still feel like a band only getting started, and just recently finding their true musical voice. That made fleshing out “I Saw God,” a track where the seeds were first planted a while back, the right choice to coalesce with their newly solidified lineup and blossoming relationship with Charles, himself no stranger to grandiose and ambitious indie rock sounds as a member of The Sheila Divine and longtime producer and owner-operator of Zippah Recording Studios.
“I’ve had the main riff and some of the lyrics kicking around for a few years but wasn’t really sure what to do with it or what kind of song it wanted to be,” adds Somach. “I just let it sit on the ‘shelf’ for a while. I started playing it at practice one day and after everyone joined in it came together almost instantly. It feels really exciting and new for us to have such a quick high energy song in our catalog, too; we definitely wanted to take the less is more approach with it and make something powerful but concise, maybe a little different than what people might expect from us.”
That includes the song’s video, which showcases the band in their strongest element – performing live. With a track as loaded as “I Saw God,” and the band’s preference to not let the title or lyrical themes override the music, the approach to crafting a visual was a simple one.
“After releasing multiple videos that had an emphasis on storylines and connecting themes, characters and masks, we realized the most different thing we could do was just make a straight ahead performance style video with the members of the band being shown,” Somach adds. “It’s something we’ve never done before. We figured we eventually needed to have at least one performance style video and felt this song was the one to do that with.”
And as far as the reaction to “I Saw God” the single and the video?
“We just hope people give it a listen and like it,” Somach concludes. “If they don’t, that’s cool, too.”
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The Rupert Selection is:
Reilly Somach – Vocals and guitar
Sam Bouvé – Bass and additional vocals
Peter W. Bartash – Drums
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Production credits:
Written by The Rupert Selection
Lyrics by Reilly Somach
Produced and mixed by Brian Charles
Recorded at Mad Oak Studios, in Allston, MA
Artwork by Crystal Araiza
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‘I Saw God’ single artwork:
Design Credit: Crystal Araiza
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The Rupert Selection bio:
The Rupert Selection is an American psychedelic grunge band from Boston, Massachusetts.
Comprising Reilly Somach (guitar/vocals), Sam Bouvé (bass/vocals), and Peter W. Bartash (drums), the band has created a loyal following throughout New England with their “original voice” and “sound anchored in hard rock” (Boston Globe). Improper Magazine had this to say about the band’s live shows: “The Rupert Selection sparked the loudest crowd interaction, with fans shouting to fill the pauses in the trio’s deft, dynamic mash of Nirvana-esque blasts and math-prog rhythm shifts.”
Embodying everything you love about ‘90s grunge but with a modern twist, the band has released three EPs and one full-length album. Each release was built upon the previous album but without leaving the band’s original psychedelic rock roots behind.
The Rupert Selection has left its mark on Boston with sold-out venues and heaps of praise from local media – nominated for “Rock Artist of The Year” back to back in 2018 and 2019 by the Boston Music Awards; being a finalist in the Rock and Roll Rumble; being named one of the “10 Acts On The Rise In Boston” by WGBH, and one of “10 Local Acts Making Waves” by Improper Boston.
The future is bright for The Rupert Selection as a new album is in the works, with Brian Charles at the helm as producer. The band will be touring extensively after the release.
Media praise for The Rupert Selection:
The music of The Rupert Selection can be heard on Blood Makes Noise, Boston Emissions, BumbleBee Radio, Click Roll Boom, Code Zero Radio, DigBoston, Garagerocktopia on KUCR, Good Music UK, If It’s Too Loud, Marc’s Alt-Rock Playground on Mark Skin Radio, On The Town With Mikey Dee on WMFO, PipiloPop, Rising with Skybar on WMFO, Rock N Roll Fables, Sunshine Music iRadio, The Whole Kameese, The Alternative Frequencies on Radio Leyland, The Alternative Music Hour on Banks Radio, The Bad Copy, The Retweeter Show on Zeno.FM, Vanyaland, WODY Odyssey Radio, and other fine stations, shows, outlets and platforms.
“The Rupert Selection are more than just a band – they are in fact a sonic and melodic experience that you won’t soon forget.” _The Whole Kameese
“It’s almost like The Rupert Selection are time travelers from 1993 that were the forgotten bridge between bands like Nirvana and Alice in Chains and the follow ups like Bush and Silverchair.” _If It’s Too Loud
“So if you miss the early 90’s and bands like Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam’s more abrasive material this might be up your alley. I definitely feel the grunge vibes as it’s dark, moody and driving. Riffs that hit like Soundgarden’s more metal tinged songs. The vocals definitely give off a Layne Staley meets Scott Weiland feel. This would be the perfect band to see live if you are looking for that nostalgia feel and just want to see a loud heavy band that is melodic.” _Blood Makes Noise
“Wonderful… outstanding.” _The Alternative Music Hour on Banks Radio Australia
“Prog-rock power trio The Rupert Selection are a consistently great act with killer riffs and an abundance of volume. [‘Astronauts’] exemplifies what I’ve just described with a cool lead up at the beginning and stellar syncopation between guitarist and vocalist Reilly Somach, bassist Sam Bouvé, and drummer Peter W. Bartash. You can’t deny the sheer shredding that’s always been a primary trait of this talented band.” _DigBoston’s Best of 2022
“‘Astronauts’ has that fuzzed out, psychedelic alt-hard rock sound that is going to remind you of some of your favorite ‘90s classics. In particular, this one is going to make you think of Hum and early Smashing Pumpkins. It has this wonderful aggressiveness while still being beautiful.” _If It’s Too Loud
“The Boston trio… unleashed a sky-high psych-grunge cruiser called ‘Astronauts’, clocking in at a robust 4:20 in length and serving as the explosive live band’s first new music in three years.” _Vanyaland
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