Within the realm of noisy punk there aren’t many that come close to matching the savagery of the Philly-based Rid Of Me. Comprised of vocalist Itarya Rosenberg, guitarist Mike McGinnis, Mike Howard, Ruben Polo, it comes as no surprise since the band sports strong membership pedigree, doing time with Low Dose, Fight Amp and Soul Glo, and Legendary Divorce. Following the band’s inception came its first recording, Summer EP, which was released April of 2020, followed by the Broke Shit Demos, released in the fall of 2020. Both were written and recorded during the pandemic lockdown. As critics tripped over one another to sing and shout praises for Rid Of Me, the band quietly backed away until recently this year with the release of the Sheryl Crow cover of “If It Makes You Happy” (Knife Hits Records). The group sharply delivered the song, holding onto its original form but keeping it unmistakably Rid Of Me. Distortion rings around the track as Itarya Rosenberg and the group make it all their own.

In anticipation of the single’s released tomorrow, the band shares the b-side “Form,” a dark, melancholic, and more subdued song where guitarist Mike McGinnis shouts from rooftops as winding guitars and a steady groove holds it all together as dissonant notes can be heard in the distance. Of the songs, McGinnis offers this:

“If It Makes You Happy”: We kind of threw caution to the wind with this one and just let it become what it is without really having a plan. It’s an awesome and well-written song and the lyrics are sad and relatable, so we knew slowing it down and down tuning it would produce some kind of results we’d appreciate.”

“Form”: This one is the only non-Itarya vocal song that exists for us. It was one of the extra songs that didn’t make the LP but we wanted to get it out there as a unique b side. A product of isolation during the pandemic.  

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