"Since shelving the Red Rocket moniker, West Philly's signature firebrands have also changed musical course a bit. That means downplaying the math and prog influences and rediscovering pop melodies and actual singing on their upcoming album Let's Fight All Night. "Morning Trolley" may still pack a rollicking release, and "Sleep In Rich Kids" skitters thrillingly around every corner, but dig the fluffy keyboards alongside the guitar-led drama of "Babe I'm Running From You" and the romantic old-world folk vibe of "Morning Mourning," a duet with Tickley Feather's Annie Sachs. It's always exciting when math-rock bands turn their eerie precision and rugged endurance to other genres, and Rad Racket's brave stab at pop is no exception." - Doug Wallen, Philadelphia Weekly

"Black Dice is playing this Wednesday November 21st at the Vacuum with two of Philly's most interesting bands as of late - Pissed Jeans and Rad Racket." - bldowney / LandPhil

"The five guys in West Philly's Rad Racket clearly do whatever they want, whether that means playing inexplicable music, booking shows at their residential venue Danger! Danger!, or putting out CDs on their Starpower City label... Rad Racket mixes dreamy hardcore with hippie jazz. It's hard to imagine their sound if you've never heard them and hard to follow even if you have, but it's not hard to listen to. Don't worry if you're not feeling them at any given moment .. they'll move on soon enough. "Clear the Fence," from their new mini-album Folktales, opens with nervous guitar and quiet, nasal vocals and ends after a sunny, chanty jam, but in the four intervening minutes, it gets spooky, surfy, spacey and screamy. Steer clear if you're not ready for a wild ride." - M.J. Fine, Philadelphia City Paper

"Back in the space dream, once I've landed on the planet, I wander into this city of grey quartz buildings where the inhabitants are translucent jellyfish that float around the cavernous streets. A dull thunder rolls in the distance. That's when I call in the heavy artillery. Post-haste, post-rock." - Pop Montreal

"If you ever wake up in a dank basement, half-drunk and covered in sweat, there's a good chance you were at a Rad Racket show. Disorienting, indeed, but not nearly as difficult as trying to pigeonhole this local group's sound. A song will start out like an old Botch tune, then the chorus comes riding in on a bouncy Moving Units bassline, which is immediately followed by a Fugazi-fueled bridge. By the end you're floating off into outer space with the likes of Isis and Red Sparowes." - Jean Luc Renault, Philadelphia Weekly

"With a barrage of pedals ready for tweaking front and center, I was ready for something noisy, but pleasantly surprised when the band broke into some of the catchiest pop tunes I've heard from a band in a while that still managed to rock the fuck out. It seems that's just how things are trending these days." - Jason Glastetter, CMJ





related press :
- Philadelphia Weekly (about Danger Danger / Starpower City)
- Philadelphia Weekly (about Badmaster Records)
- Philadelphia City Paper (mentioned in a long list of cool shit going)
- not press, but a cool video I found w/ RADRACKET music and live clip
- back and forth Phillyblog chat that mentions the ROCKET and DANGER DANGER HOUSE
-blog about our show with Black Dice.

"Red Rocket's live show is a force to be reckoned with. Jumping effortlessly from churning guitar-driven rock to jangly post-punk pop exuberance, their respectable do-it-yourself ethos and unique blend of intstrumental noise with melodic danceability is truly remarkable.

Every skewed guitar chord and driving, crackling drum beat forces even the hippest of hipsters to at least nod their head in time with the music, if not dance around like an idiot, unaware, if even for an instant, of their surroundings and the -gasp!- opinions of others. Red Rocket's sound is, perhaps, reminiscent of the crop of great Dischord bands from the late-80's to mid-90's (Fugazi, Shudder to Think, et. al.) and 'Solid Gold'-era Gang of Four, yet throw Minutemen-style funk and splashes of metal into the mix, courtesy of a powerful and relentless rhythm section, giving them a sound that is unique and refreshing.

Throughout their set, Roman is the consummate frontman, bleeding passion and energy into the microphone. "Who said I can't say what I said?!," he pleads with the audience on "Who Said," a tune from their new album, 'Folktales,' on Starpower City, and nobody is saying he can't say anything this night; they're screaming for Red Rocket to say more.

Red Rocket have a bracing stage presence, yet it's easy to see that there is a true connection with the audience. They're "nice guys," who, while obviously passionate about their music, are easy to identify and connect with. There is no rock star posturing, or worse, snotty indie rock star anti-posturing, here. Red Rocket are real folks playing songs with real energy and real emotion.

Expect big things from these gentlemen in the prefuture."

-Z Radio