On the third track of local rock band Tidal Volume’s forthcoming album, the speaker passionately laments thwarted romances with two distinct love interests. Titled “Jamie (Riley),” the song takes inspiration from classic rock ballads performed by men and dedicated to female figures—think “Roxanne” by The Police. The key difference? “Jamie (Riley)” is gender-neutral.
“I decided to write ‘Jamie (Riley)’ as this silly little gender-neutral love song that could be for a boy or a girl or a nonbinary person or whoever,” says Zach Sullentrup, the band’s songwriter. “It’s just these two names that don’t belong to a gender—they belong to everyone.”
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The track is one of four singles from the band’s debut album, Rewrite the Bad Parts, recorded at St. Louis’ Sawhorse Studios and available to stream in full beginning August 5. Although Tidal Volume formed in 2010, the five-member group mainly focused on releasing singles and EPs in their early years. When they weren’t recording, they were performing at venues in Columbia, Missouri, and the St. Louis area. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted their plans to begin the album-recording process.
“We wanted to do an album going into the pandemic, and then the pandemic just halted us in our tracks,” Sullentrup says. “For me, the drive got more intense to do the album.”
Sullentrup is one of only two remaining original members of the group, alongside Will Minard on keys/vocals. The pair have been playing together since they were juniors in high school, and the current lineup sees them joined by local artists Tyler Tinnin, Evelyn Kinsey Rose, and Scott Leeker. This project, Sullentrup says, feels “really, really overdue.”
Rewrite the Bad Parts is a celebration of the band’s growth. It deals with selfhood in the modern age, reliance on relationships, and falling in love. While the album embraces the childlike joy of discovering rock ‘n’ roll and emo music, it also questions the patriarchal norms of those genres.
“As a queer adult, I have a different relationship with [the artists I loved as a kid],” Sullentrup says. “Most of the music I listened to growing up wasn’t made by people who spoke to my gender identity or my experience. Moving forward, what’s exciting for rock is that we can bring more diversity to the table to build on what’s already been done.”
Tidal Volume has already begun work on future recordings, and Sullentrup says they’re excited for what’s in store. But, for now, as the 12-year-old group celebrates its first album—created in spite of a global pandemic—its tagline, the “unkillable band from Missouri,” rings true.
“It’s that sentiment of, like, Get back up. Keep going. Because there’s no reason not to,” Sullentrup says. “I think perseverance is at the core of what we do.”
Fans can stream Rewrite the Bad Parts in its entirety beginning August 5 on Apple Music, Spotify, and Bandcamp. The band will also host a record release show at Off Broadway on August 13.
