RinRin – the musical project of Perth-based singer-songwriter Qarin Hipe – will drop debut album The Nut House later this week. Taking cues from the likes of Poppy, BABYMETAL, and Bring Me The Horizon, RinRin’s sound is an eclectic mash-up, with metal, pop-punk, and pop influences punctuated by big riffs and bigger screams.
Upcoming LP The Nut House picks up where EP Angels left off (check out our review HERE), diving deep into the musical multiverse RinRin first introduced us to with last year’s “PRN”.
Each song showcases a different version of Rin, spanning multiple realities and living different lives, but all shaped by the influence of a mysterious substance called Rinnite. On a personal level, they also represent the emotional states of the Filipino-born artist, an expansive multiverse for her to explore and examine her own psyche – and share a little with us along the way.
Album opener “Killher” sets the tone with an infectious beat and a chorus that feels ripped right out of the 2000s emo playbook. That’s the thing with RinRin – her references always feel spot on, a love letter to the sounds that shaped her, infused with a distinctly modern edge. Follow-up “Built Diff” (feat. Luck XO) is definitely more on that contemporary side, a powerful rage track blending metalcore with rap elements, all bound by the delicious earworm of “Bitch, I am BUILT DIFF!“.
The alternative genre fusion continues as the album goes on – appropriate given RinRin’s vision of a multitude of Rins. “WASHED” explores the feeling of being stuck, of never quite reaching the heights you’d imagined; “FOB” muses on being a South East Asian immigrant in Australia; “CORNDOG!” might have a deeper meaning, but it might also just be about really wanting a corndog. All that plus the dream pop stylings of “I Wanna Know” and vulnerable album-closer “sad emoji”, a showcase of RinRin’s vocals and heartfelt lyricism.
You’d be forgiven that thinking the blend of sounds might end up giving listeners some kind of sonic whiplash, but that’s certainly not the case. It all comes together with a deceptive ease, beautifully produced, and with a through line that feels distinctly RinRin – even if it’s tackling a multiverse of them. It won’t be for everyone – unhinged, sweary, and sad as it often is – but I absolutely ate it up, and had a huge amount of fun doing so.
The Nut House is further proof of RinRin’s range – whether that’s lyrically, vocally, musically, or visually. Switching effortlessly between vulnerable vocals, fast paced bars, and aggressive screams, and exploring a swathe of emotions through the delicious device of a musical multiverse, RinRin shows a genuine love of alt-music history, experimentation, and concept storytelling. With such a clear artistic vision at just 20 years old, where we’ll end up when we get discharged from The Nut House is anyone’s guess – and isn’t that exciting?
Also, does anyone else really want a corndog right now?
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
RinRin‘s The Nut House is out on Friday September 12th through Year of the Rat Records. Pre-save it HERE.
Track listing:
- “Killher”
- “Built Diff”
- “WASHED”
- “SMOKEBOMB”
- “This Is Not The Time”
- “Gunmetal Black”
- “I Wanna Know”
- “CORNDOG!”
- “FOB”
- “Hard Stuck”
- “Evil Bitch Blood”
- “sad emoji”
Stay up to date with all things RinRin via her website HERE.
Header photo credit: Electrum Photography (supplied by PR)
