Los Angeles band The Rigs are a dynamic force on their debut album “World On Fire"

Los Angeles band The Rigs are a dynamic force on their debut album “World On Fire"

By Lesley Daunt, Contributor

Lover of music, travel, and everything art related

Dec 19, 2017, 11:45 AM EST

Original Huffpost Publication here.

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Comprised of TJ Stafford and Caitlin Parrott, The Rigs have been writing in collaboration since 2014, crafting a sound that is equal parts synth-pop and emotional alternative rock that possesses an addictive grit and attitude. Immediately, their reverberating melodies and heightened lyrical stories connected with audiences and critics, garnering them placements on popular television series such as HBO’s True Blood, NBC’s Parenthood, and FreeForm’s Pretty Little Liars. Their debut single off their new album, “Fall or Fly,” received a warm welcome from music critics and fans alike. The pulsating track is the perfect introduction to their progressive debut album, World On Fire, which positions them as a force to be reckoned in the alternative music scene.

Friends long before The Rigs came into existence, both TJ and Caitlin played together in other bands and in their own solo acts. But in 2014, after what was described as a “tumultuous time” for them, they decided to try writing together. “Originally, I think it was just kind of as a form of therapy and catharsis but totally unexpectedly, the first couple songs we wrote immediately got picked up for TV placement and kind of jump started our career together. We kept writing and before we knew it we’d written 3 albums worth of music.”

When asked about the sound direction of World on Fire Parrott describes

“We knew it would be a bit of a departure from our previous sound. A little more electronic. We wanted to push the boundaries a little and expand our palette. Other than that though we just wanted each song to dictate its own path.” Stafford adds, “It also helps have a producer like Smidi (Michael "Smidi" Smith). Dude is brilliant, and when he hears me say something stupid like "this song feels like YES meets Diplo and they exchange Gerber daisies," he somehow makes that happen, and then some.”

The record is full of a mix of moods and themes.

“I mean, Cait and I are a constant mix of moods and themes, just personally & in our daily lives....so there's that. The writing on this album spanned the course of a year, and it was a crazy ass year, both personally and in the world at large. Lots of moods. Lots of themes. So we wrote about as many as would come up. Shoot, my mood changes thousands of times over the course of a few hours on any given day, so I can't imagine limiting a year's worth of music creation to a single mood. Seems a little manipulative to do that. And I think consumers are and can be much more intelligent than most mass creators give them credit for. It's why there was such fervor around an album like Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN." It wasn't just sonically great, it lyrically and thematically touched on the full scope of life. And, people in turn cherished it because they were like, "Yes! We deal with ALL of that too."” - TJ

"When We Were Young" is the latest single off World on Fire. I asked the band about the inspiration behind the song...”Another discussion with Caitlin. I was personally wondering if I could ever fall in love again (I can). Like, I seriously didn't think it was physically possible anymore (it is). Then I started thinking about that 'love' feeling when I was a kid and how pure and unadulterated it was, and I got sad thinking about that never being possible after a certain age. That lead to thinking about that time in life, then we got super nostalgic and decided to go really simple and sweet with the song. Just a string pad and programmed beat, simple guitar, and vocals. Like how as a kid I could create whole worlds with a few sticks and some dirt. We wanted to do that with this song. Create something beautiful and epic and powerful with simplicity and sweetness.”

The video came from and idea Stafford had while sitting around with Parrott one night. Stafford asked if Parrott could get her hands on old family videos from her childhood. After close to 20 moves over the years, it was a little hard to track down, but Stafford did and put together what they found. “It all stemmed from the memories we had while writing the tune and having the discussions surrounding it. Seemed simple and sweet like the song. And, honestly, it was nice to live in that space and embrace it for awhile because our stuff - and the world - can get heavy and dark at times. Felt like the world needed some simple and nice.”