A change of scenery can have a major effect on numerous aspects of one’s life. Certain methods and perspectives shift to acclimate to the environment, and the vibe can transform everything in terms of overall personality, specific goals and creative endeavors. This can be true in music as well, and it’s especially the case for the funk dynamos Ripe. Originally starting out at the Berklee College of Music in Boston during the early 2010s, the band recently switched coasts by basing themselves in Los Angeles. While switching cities, it contributed towards the expansion of their rhythmic and emphatic sound. This is evident in their new album Play the Game, which was officially released on September 19 via Glassnote Records.

This trait comes through in the structures and arrangements with an ’80s pop element being fused in with the trademark funkiness. Simultaneously, the music isn’t grounded to just that combination while striving for a lot more.

“After turning a record about survival into a new high point for us, we started writing music to try and reveal the next chapter of their lives,” Ripe collectively says about the album. “We were beginning a new life in Los Angeles, figuring out how to exist in a totally new musical ecosystem while figuring out as individuals what this next chapter of life meant to us. The music that came out during this time turned out to be a bunch of songs about swinging for the fences and what it means to be out on a limb for a dream that feels bigger than yourself. The result of that dreaming is Play the Game. We’ve been around since 2011, or maybe 2016, or maybe 2021, depending on which chapter you want to honor most, and which version feels like the most important to focus on, but Play the Game is about a different sort of beginning.”

“What happens when you’re no longer fighting for survival, and instead are fighting in the name of something else?” They add. “What happens when you have the chance to do something once-in-a-lifetime, where your goal shifts from simply doing the best you can, given the circumstances, to making something amazing? This album is us taking a completely new approach to our art, working with a close-knit group of friends as well as some true bucket list collaborators, all in the name of making the absolute best record we could make. The album sounds like the dreams of us who formed the band when we were teenagers, filtered through us as young adults who finally got a chance to make those dreams come true. We hope you enjoy the sound of us giving everything we’ve got.”

The ’80s pop characteristic I mentioned earlier is conveyed through the synths in tracks like “Letting Go”, which features the soul/R&B act Lawrence, as well as “Friend in the Dark”, “Try Not To Look” and “Get You Home”. It also needs to be mentioned that “Strangers” featuring guitar virtuoso Cory Wong resonates in a similar vein. Along with these tunes, there are some stripped-down ones with “Lonely Magician” and “Affogato” being prime examples. From beginning to end, there’s a lot going on from song to song. There aren’t any wild departures while the band stays true to the craft of songwriting.

In support of Play the Game, Ripe is going to be embarking on a tour with the soul artist Allen Stone that’s going to be starting at the House of Blues in Anaheim on October 15. Among the many stops, there’s going to be a homecoming happening at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway on November 21. All of the upcoming dates are here, and I highly suggest seeing the quintet of vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn, guitarist Jon Becker, bassist Christian Saint-Louis, drummer Sampson Hellerman and trombonist Calvin Barthel live because they put on a hell of a show. Make sure to grab a physical copy of the album if you decide to attend, but for now, stream it at the link below and dive right in.

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