RAYON – “SHOPPING”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
No-wave, angular post-punk outfit Rayon, led by Eric Sabatino, returns from the brink of burnout with their new two-track 7″ single via Little Cloud Records. Born from a revitalizing band road trip to Guadalajara, the single serves as a sonic manifesto against modern pressures, with the A-side “Shopping” acting as a whacked-out, tongue-in-cheek critique of consumerism and travel.
This, together with the superb driving B-side “Running”, is a dedicated exercise in analog authenticity, recorded onto 16-track tape. Supported by an injection of new band energy and a Super 8 video capturing real-life “grocery store antics,” this release marks a new and exciting, imperfectly human chapter for Rayon.
Rayon was launched by long-time Portland resident and Detroit-area native Eric Sabatino, now joined by members of Sun Atoms, Yuvees, Pastilla and Martha Stax – namely Anna Sabatino, Riley McLaughlin, Eric Rubalcava and Derek Longoria-Gomez. Recording on rainy weekends in a garage studio packed with old reel-to-reel tape machines, partially-functional tube amps, and leaky British motorcycles, these songs were recorded onto 16 tracks of 1/2” tape, while running the tracks through a slightly-wonky sounding tape echo.
Sabatino broke tradition with this release, deciding to mix the album together with famed recording engineer Larry Crane (Cat Power, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, The Go-Betweens, Elliott Smith, Death Cab for Cutie) at Jackpot Recording and Timothy Stollenwerk (Yo La Tengo, Grouper, Morphine) at Stereophonic Mastering.
“Shopping” hits the ear like a forgotten gem unearthed from the early ’90s: wonderfully raw, slightly hissy, and brilliantly off-kilter. Recalling alt-rock touchstones like Sonic Youth, Talking Heads and dEUS, the whole track is underpinned by a propulsive, almost anxious rhythm section that keeps things moving in a lackadaisical and thoroughly enjoyable manner. Sabatino’s half-sung vocals perfectly deliver the song’s cynical yet playful take on consumer culture, a theme brilliantly mirrored in the low-fidelity Super 8 visual. Most of all, between the song and the video, these guys are FUN!
B-side ‘Running’ lives up to its title, offering a more agitated, darker counterpoint, complete with a beautifully wonky tape echo effect that underscores the theme of shaking addiction. An exploration within the song’s post-punk framework, this single is an infectious, authentic rush. The production is a masterclass in controlled chaos, preserving the garage-band grit while giving the noise a clear, muscular punch.
Sabatino shares, “Doing everything on film and tape is a bit of a safety check-valve, to make sure we make everything like humans with no autotune, copy/paste or AI. I’m becoming an imperfectionist. This was the first time we’ve engaged a “professional” to work on our recordings. The education we received was immense, and Larry was kind with his explanations of everything we had previously done “wrong” with our recordings, was willing to work with what we provided and willing to get weird with us.”
Written in two parts, “Shopping” is a tongue-in-cheek song about consumerism and travel, written by a person who travels and consumes quite a bit. “Running” is an anxious song about the people you love and the addictions that they can’t shake – and the sound of a tape echo that’s about to stop working.
Rayon spent last winter honing these and other songs through a series of live shows, including an epic trip to Guadalajara, which served as creative fodder for the band’s latest inspiration and re-invigoration.
“This EP almost didn’t happen. I nearly walked away from Rayon. The last record wasn’t selling, a lack of decent show offers, festival rejections and a general feeling of burnout was happening. Our second guitarist left, and then our drummer. The addition of guitarist Riley McLaughlin (from Yuvees and Club Deluxe) and Eric Rubalcava (drums) and Derek Longoria-Gomez (percussion and bass) from our “band-in-law” Sun Atoms brought new life and energy to the band,” says Eric Sabatino.
“We played some of the first enjoyable shows in a few years, and a new energy emerged. We started functioning as a band, we traveled to Mexico, and came back to record these songs. And another record is in the works. As for the new video, we got kicked out of two grocery stores making it. The Mexican Tienda was cool as hell; they loved it. We shopped and goofed around in stores, drove the old car down to the park under the bridge and had a picnic. Jeff filmed it all on a cute old Super 8 camera.”
The single is out now – both digitally and limited edition blue transparent vinyl and black 7″ vinyl (150 copies of each have been pressed). Get it on Bandcamp.
CREDITS
All songs written by Eric Sabatino
Recorded by Eric Sabatino in Rayon’s garage on 16-track tape
Mixed by Eric Sabatino & Larry Crane at Jackpot! Recording
Mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk at Stereophonic Mastering
Eric Sabatino – guitar, bass & vocals
Eric Rubalcava – drums
Riley McLaughlin – guitar
Anna Sabatino – keys & vocals
Cover photo & layout by Eric Sabatino (photo of lamp lady shot on an Argus C3 with Cinestill 800t)
Video shot on film (Super 8 Camera) & edited by Jeff Tuyay
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
While you’re here, feast on their two previous videos for “Driving” and “Blue Nights”:
Rayon
[Single]
(Little Cloud Records)
Release Date: November 10, 2025
Artist Links
Background Photo Credit: Eric Sabatino
