RDGLDGRN — pronounced Red Gold Green — released their third album, titled “RDGLDGRN 3,” on Feb. 1. The trio is from the Washington D.C. area and has a blend of styles including alternative, hip-hop and indie rock. The band is made up of three main members and one touring member. Each goes by a different nickname. The lead vocalist takes the name of GRN, or “King Green,” in the rap industry. The guitarist is known as RD, and the bassist is known as GLD. They also have a touring drummer who goes by the nickname Snaxx. An aspect of the band that makes them unique is that they dress in the colors of their stage names with the exception of Snaxx who wears black.

The first track on the record, “Clapback,” is one of my favorites by the band. It combines all of the sounds that the band explores. It begins with a low, electronic bass drop and drum track with the distorted chorus vocals. These sounds are followed by the first rap verse and the introduction of guitar. In this verse, GRN talks about the group surpassing other artists and people in the industry. They even make a jab at famous rap trio, Migos, “my passion’s passin’ you negros, that mastered matching the Migos.” The chorus introduces a fuzzy bass-line and a prominent guitar part. This was one of my favorite tracks on the record.

The second track on the album, “See Me Then,” is reminiscent of the song “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys. It has a similar feel with the instrumentation. The beginning of the chorus shares the same syncopated hits on the drums, bass and guitar as the chorus in the Beastie Boys’ song. Another interesting part of this song is that the instruments stand out over the electronics more than in other songs on the record. GRN makes a cool reference to the Transformers with the second verse, “the words transform into darts that kill Decepticons.” Here, he is saying that his lyrics are so powerful that they can destroy the evil group of Transformers.

The last song that stood out to me on the record was track nine, “Load It Up.” This has a modern-rap feel with ambient guitar in the background. The guitar gives the song a ‘trance-like’ vibe under the standard trap sound of the verse. The chorus introduces melodic vocals and heavy keyboard synths. As a whole, the song is about working hard and getting to the top of “the game.” The chorus vocals, “load it up, load it up, pass anything to me,” are saying that the band can take anything that is thrown at them and they will still succeed.

This is a cool, short album for anyone looking for new rap or indie rock. The band combines the best elements of the two genres and gives us an awesome record. Take a listen. The whole thing is only 35 minutes. I guarantee that with all the different sounds you will enjoy something on there.