Retirement Party - Runaway Dog

“Chicago’s got too many great bands to count, but perhaps one of its most underrated is Retirement Party. The trio have gained a dedicated following for their seamless blend of indie rock and emo, and now they’re ready to win over even more listeners with a brand new album called Runaway Dog.” – Consequence of Sound

Before anyone even realized it had been left open, Retirement Party was already running out the back door. As the Chicago-based three-piece of guitarist and singer Avery Springer (she/her), drummer James Ringness (he/him), and lead guitarist Eddy Rodriguez (he/him) prepare the release of their sophomore full length Runaway Dog, Retirement Party stands tall, having seen themselves through the growing pains that came after a period of rapid professional and personal growth. Retirement Party’s beginning steps were more like a sprint.Though rewarding, the pace chipped away at the members’ personal lives, manifesting in a daunting case of writer’s block for Springer and in the loss of one of the band’s founding members. Runaway Dog tells the story of a group of three musicians learning from experience and working to gather the resources needed to create the type of sustainable energy on which solid careers are built.

Avery Springer and James Ringness met at the first ever Retirement Party practice. Within two months of their first practice, Retirement Party was recording their first EP Strictly Speaking. Three months later, they were in Ringness’s van on a tour down to South By Southwest. “I had seen what people were doing within DIY—getting to play music and being able to tour—I knew the difference between being in a band that plays locally and writes some songs, but I wanted to get on the road,” Springer says. This forward motion would lead the band to the release of their debut full-length Somewhat Literate on Counter Intuitive Records in May of 2018. Stereogum christened them with a Band To Watch tag before Somewhat Literate’s release—an interview Springer recalls conducting in the hallway between classes at Columbia College. The balance between school life and personal life is always precarious, but when the personal involves a burgeoning career fronting a touring indie rock band, the poles pull with a multiplied force. “I was figuring out how to balance school and the opportunities that were coming to us. It was tough when those started to conflict with each other,” Springer says. The opportunities presented themselves not only in critical circles, but in a continued regiment of heavy touring. “I took a semester online so that I could go on tour for five months. It forced me to shift things around, but it also stated that this all could become part of a career.” But the added commitments of time and travel began to slow momentum down and to sow seeds of doubt. – Tim Crisp (continue reading full bio in download folder)