Karina Rykman has released the first preview of her highly anticipated debut album with the cruise-worthy title track “Joyride”.
“’Joyride’ is about being driven insane as you’re kept awake by music in your head all night – so much so that eventually, you give up and ask your partner to take you on a joyride instead of tossing and turning,” said Rykman. “This is doubly humorous because I’m an unlicensed born and raised Manhattanite, and as a result, must be driven everywhere!”
“I’ve held this song so close for so long, and nothing brings me more joy than to let it go,” she added in a social media post. “[It] belongs to you now. Spin it loud and proud “
The laid-back electro-pop track features Phish‘s Trey Anastasio on guitar alongside Rykman as well as The Disco Biscuits‘ Aron Magner on (synths) and Chris Corsico (drums). It was produced by Trey with Rykman’s co-writer/childhood friend Gabe Monro and mixed at The Barn, the famed Vermont studio where Phish recorded several albums.
Related: Karina Rykman Gives A Tour Of Her Bass Gear In New Rig Rundown Video [Watch]
Rykman’s friendship with the Phish guitarist goes back to when she attended middle school with his daughters. After making a name for herself as Marco Benevento‘s bassist—a gig she got on the recommendation of Dave Dreiwitz (JRAD, Ween) while she was a senior at NYU—Rykman reconnected with Trey at The Peach Music Festival in 2021 and was surprised to discover he was familiar with the singles she had released, some of which have been reworked for her new album.
Rykman reflected on the impact of their meeting:
Trey and I hadn’t seen each other since pre-pandemic. But at this music festival, he ran up to me and referred to each of my singles by name. I had no idea he knew what I was up to, musically speaking. I went to middle school with his daughters, and we’ve been ‘family friends’ for a long time, but it wasn’t until that moment in July 2021 that he really became a musical peer. The amount of selflessness and care he has shown in his mentorship toward me is awe-inspiring. I could never thank him enough for all he’s given me.
“When I first heard the early demos, the first thing I said was more Karina,” Trey added. “Turn up the bass, sing more, and step out. What makes me most happy about the finished album now is that to my ears, it sounds like Karina unapologetically. It has her nature. It has her incredible joyous outlook that I know is real because I saw it in her when she was a kid.”
The album’s lead single arrived alongside a music video that brings the song’s dreamy, after-midnight ambiance to life. In the new visuals, created by Charlie Chalkin and Charlie Laud, Rykman matches the lively buzz of New York City as she rolls her home town in a Jeep Wrangler, hanging out of its open roof on the West Side Highway and beyond with wind-in-her-hair, devil-may-care vivacity. Clips of Rykman’s live band performing at Burlington, VT’s famed Nectar’s eventually find their way into the queue as friendly, animated accent characters join her on her late-night cruise through the Big Apple.
“I do my own stunts,” Rykman joked to Live For Live Music about the perilous production process for the “Joyride” video. “You haven’t lived until you’re hanging out of the roof of a jeep with your bass, going down the West Side Highway at top speed as an animated octopus appears out of nowhere.”
“Joyride” is available now on all streaming platforms, with the album due out August 18th via AWAL. Pre-order/pre-save Joyride here, and watch the official music video for “Joyride” in the YouTube player below.
Karina Rykman – “Joyride” (Official Video)
The post Karina Rykman Drops First Single Off Debut Album Ft. Trey Anastasio, Aron Magner [Video] appeared first on L4LM.