Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Alt-rock powerhouse Rainbow Kitten Surprise has a gift for being as emotionally raw as they are musically rich with bold genre-fluid melodies and lyrics that cut straight to the heart. Formed in Boone, N.C., and based in Nashville for the past several years, the group has earned a reputation for dynamic live performances and eclectic style. Released in May, their album Love Hate Music Box is their first since 2018, and marks a return after a period of major change; during that time, singer Ela Melo came out as trans. The band also took a break in 2023 to focus on mental health that resulted in canceling a slew of tour dates.
On Music Box, RKS embraces new sonic elements (including lush synthesizers) for their most expansive project to date — a full 22 tracks. Following this ambitious release, the group has been back on the road, channeling their unmistakable energy and emotional depth into their shows, including a return to Nashville on Saturday at Ascend Amphitheater with support from The Brook and the Bluff. Ahead of the show, we talked with Melo about the band’s new music, life on the road and their recent commitment to relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. In collaboration with Plus1’s Rapid Relief Fund, the band has pledged $50,000 to provide aid in their home region of Western North Carolina.
How did the band get involved with the hurricane relief efforts?
I know my guys’ hearts and thoughts are in North Carolina. We still have a member who actively lives in North Carolina, and friends and family on the mountain and in Western North Carolina where it was the worst. We were on the edge of our seats. We were trying to stay as tuned in as possible when the blackouts were first a thing, and then running water kind of stopped, and it's like, “Wow, this is a mess.” It was almost immediate that we needed to do something, and between management and some of the members of the band, who are good at figuring out the logistical things of how we raise money: “How do we put this out there?” At the end of the day, I think all of us are just wondering, “What can we do?” We'll do whatever we can to help, and I think a lot of people are in that same position and want to help. You know, only time will tell how it gets better. But for our part, we want to do what we can.
Music Box is your first album since 2018’s How To: Friend, Love, Freefall, and it’s your largest project yet. How has the band’s sound and identity evolved with all the changes you have been through?
Well, I think anybody who listens to the record can agree it's a little different. I think all the records that we've ever put out are different from one another. This is, maybe, the biggest job, but it's also because everything else had two or three years tops. Time can change projects when it's twice that. So, we have plenty of unreleased stuff that, I don't know if it ever will be [released], but kind of catalogs our sound. Sometimes I go back and listen to it and I'm like, “Wow, it's just come a long way.” We're having fun playing [music from Music Box], and seems like folks are into it.
What were some of your biggest inspirations for the album?
Working with synthesizers definitely evolved things. I've never really done that before on prior records —here aren't any synths on any of the other ones. A lot of How To was written on a B3 organ, so this was kind of my new B3. That synthesizer sound makes it a little bit more poppy than previous releases, and I still think there's plenty of rock ’n’ roll in there. I don't know if that changed stuff. I was going through a lot personally while putting this record together. I was kind of in and out of the studio and dealing with a lot of mental health stuff and figuring all that out. So I don't know, I think there's a little bit of darkness in here that represents some of what I was going through mentally. But, there's also the end of the tunnel, the kind of light elements of it. We shaped that while the guys added guitars, and it became what it is.
I think that sort of embodies the “love” and “hate” in the album title as well.
Yeah, the album title just kind of just came, and I think that everything has both of those elements in it. There's love and there's fear, and maybe hate is a byproduct of that. I'm coming to a place in my life where I'm just kind of like, “It's OK to dislike things. It's okay to love things. And it's okay to voice all of that, because you never know who it's gonna resonate with.” Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's bad. It doesn't mean it's bad for you or anything. You know, it might just be an unfamiliar kind of thing. And that's how I feel about this record too: It's delving into the unfamiliar. I think vocally it does that. I think instrumentally, it does that as well.
That's a very vulnerable position to put yourself in, and that really does stand out on the record. Was there any particular moment during the creative process where you realized you tapped into something more personal than before?
Some of the songs are more vulnerable in terms of mental health stuff, especially that I struggle with. Some of that is laid bare with songs like “Sickset.” I'll tell you, I used to think the songwriting is all in the storytelling, and it is, but then it's also kind of gushing. Songs like “Matchbox” come to me when I'm writing what I'm doing at the time, like sitting in a 15-passenger van. There's that side of things, and then there's also this side where I’m just trying to get more vulnerable with everything that I write. I feel like that's important somehow, at least for me. I think vulnerability is key to connecting with people.
Do you feel like that's allowed you to be more vulnerable with yourself in dealing with your mental health?
I think it's a step in the right direction, but it's not enough. I want more. There’s something about being vulnerable — or being totally honest, speaking the truth of your situation — that almost feels like a drug. I'm kind of hooked on it. I want more and more honesty; more and more of myself and whatever truth stands behind me to shine through. I don't usually listen to records once they come out, except very sparingly. So I haven't heard this one in a while, but I imagine that there definitely would be some parts of me that it would reach that would surprise me.
You've been very open about your mental health and your transition. How has that related to your work and the band's artistic direction on this LP?
I think I'm happier than I've ever been, and I think that has a lot to do with transitioning. I always tell people, that before I began that journey — that process of finding myself — life was black and white. Now it's in color, you know? It's hard for that not to affect everything around me, or everything that I do in the world. So that's present, and I think it comes in the form of being a more cheerful human, period. Well, maybe people don't want cheerful, maybe they want the sad stuff, that kind of more raw thing. I feel like I could still give that, but I wanted to try something with this record.
How does it feel to be back on the road?
It's great! Yeah, it's so much fun. That's really all I have to say.
Has there been anything really exciting for you or challenging with this tour?
Every night is a new sort of adventure, and you never know what you're gonna get. Every crowd has its own energy and every town has its own energy. Feeding into that every night and trying to find something to connect with — there is always a challenge. But it's also the reward of doing what we do. Me and the whole team are just having a blast doing it.
Is there anything you're looking forward to with your adopted-hometown stop on Saturday?
We've never played Ascend before, but we’ve all seen some great shows there, and that's pretty cool. … It's always nice to almost come home. I consider Nashville kind of our second home, almost like North Carolina, where most of us spent our childhood or growing years. So, it does always feel like a homecoming show whenever we come back.
