The Rightovers began as a solo project for Chris Holmes (Conceptus, Lil' Pizzas) while he was attending grad school in Hawaii about five years ago. He had a collection of songs that he had recorded in a home studio, but he needed a drummer to complete them. He ended up mailing Mike Kamoo (the Loons, the Stereotypes) a drive with the songs, and he knocked out the drum parts back in the mainland. That album, Blue Blood, was released in 2015 and, according to Holmes, veered a bit more towards indie-pop.

Holmes and bandmate Matthew Baab grew-up going to indie and punk shows in the 1990s. The music eventually played a major role in the songs that they contributed to their 2019 album Die Cruisin’. The two guitarists recruited Mike Kamoo to play drums once again, while they handled bass and vocal duties on their individual songs. Once the album was finished, Marcos Lizcano entered the fold playing bass guitar, and Lumpy LoPilato rounded out the rhythm section as their permanent drummer.

Their Kruise Kontrol EP was released in June 2021 via Portland label Jigsaw Records. "Shoegaze, classic rock and electronic music color this album in equal measure," says Holmes. "A convenient analogy is My Bloody Valentine meets ZZ Top meets Kraftwerk. We wanted to fill this EP with get-up-and-go type songs, since that’s who we are as individuals and as a group."

"Our last show was in December 2019 at the Soda Bar," said Holmes. "We took some time off from playing live after that to record and mix the EP, which took longer than expected. The origin of the EP was a batch of new songs we came up with based around a new guitar tuning. They all had sort of an efficient, sunbaked ZZ Top vibe as played by My Bloody Valentine, built around dry, tight, punchy drums. The title song is the best expression of this, so it made sense to call it Kruise Kontrol EP. Deciding on the title early on helped us in composing the lyrics, which are concerned with travel and movement. Specifically, finding autonomy and peace through repetitive motion. This lines up with the music itself, which is based around rhythm and groove."

Most of the EP was recorded pre-pandemic, with local producer Mike Kamoo also handling the drums. "All of the instruments and vocals were recorded at my house. I have a digital loadbox that allows me to record tube amps silently at any hour of the day without disturbing the neighbors, which is an essential tool for us." Holmes also mixed the EP at home. "I was finally able to dial in the kind of drum mixes I’ve been chasing for years—a sound no doubt informed by all of the electronic music we consume."

(Photograph by Brenna Brock)