The Bay Area Native

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With the debut of their first album “The Western Boundary,” Rat Trap has already made a wave in their coastal city of Santa Cruz. This five-person band shines a bright light back on quality folk music and offers a fresh twist on a genre that sometimes goes unnoticed.

When I heard Rat Trap’s “Songbirds” I was instantly transported back in time to when I first heard music by Bright Eyes. However, Rat Trap definitely takes on a more positive and upbeat stance than Conor Oberst. There is a charming effervescence that seems to radiate from the whole album. And as their album art denotes, there is a carefree lightness that is carried throughout each song, a lightness that can only be achieved through genuine guitar compositions and simple lyrics. The soft twangs from the intricate guitar once again reminded me of one of my other favorite bands, The New Amsterdams, a band known for their rhythmic guitar sequences and soothing melodies.

One thing I noticed, and appreciate within folk and acoustic music, is that the lead singer Grant Simmons effectively takes on a sort of narrator position. He only sings when he needs to, or when he thinks his lyrics will be pertinent to the story. This narrative made me wonder what was coming next, and whether I would still have the same emotions as I did at the start of the song. But even with the simple lyrics or “intrusions” from the narrator, I was never disappointed. I found it simple to hum along and take part in the story, even enjoying the unraveling of it.

Rat Trap’s “Insomnia” and “Untitled” especially remind me of summer, making me think of the ocean, long car rides, and sharing strawberry lemonade with my friends. One of the best things about summer is the relaxing music that accompanies each summer task. And Rat Trap definitely achieves that sense of “summer reminiscing” that I long for in folk music.