Joy in the Wild Unknown

Have you ever waited months for Christmas in the hopes of getting the present of your dreams, only to be underwhelmed with the result? Ripe’s debut album, Joy in the Wild Unknown, encapsulates this feeling perfectly.

Known for their funky party-rock vibes, Boston-based Ripe claims to “refuse to believe in a single definition of dance music”. This philosophy is evident in their newest album, but not necessarily in the way that they intended it. Unfortunately, Joy in the Wild Unknown is a mess. Although it might sound better if the songs were played out of order and mixed in with their past releases, as an entity the album proves to be extremely disappointing to fans who are already familiar with their signature sound and energy. Instead of sounding like a diverse definition, the songs seem like they have been smushed together in a way that lacks effort and real thought. Although it would serve as a pleasant sampler for an introduction to Ripe’s talent for a newcomer, the trained fan’s ear will likely just end up confused and disappointed with this one.

My issues with the album began with the second song. The first, “Little Lighter,” gave me hope, but “Flipside,” which I had heard as a prior release, was a huge disappointment. Throughout all of the new version, I felt as if the band was being held back by a giant rubber band, stretching against it but never quite getting to the point where the song gained enough energy to produce a nice, satisfying snap. While the base was solid, the higher end needs to be included more in the mix to fix the…