Riverby signs with Take This To Heart Records, debut album Smart Mouth coming next month

Philadelphia indie rockers Riverby have signed to Massachusetts indie label Take This to Heart Records. Their debut LP, Smart Mouth, is set to release on July 10, with all proceeds being donated to nationwide community bail funds.

Riverby is a band that began, according to their Bandcamp page, “sporadically, then all at once.” Vocalist / guitarists Sophia Greenberg and Tyler Asay met at an open mic night and mutually decided to start a band. Bassist Doug Keller was recruited during a between-set smoke break, and drummer Dan Nazaria rounded out the four-piece. The record was produced by Manayunk native Justin Nazario, and mastered by Ryan Schwabe.

The band has released two songs in advance of Smart Mouth‘s release. The first, “The Tell Tale Heart,” is a hard-rocking letter to Greenberg’s past self in the wake of heartbreak, while “Nose to Nose” is about pushing past self-doubt. These songs blend past and present, appeals to younger selves, in the form of fuzzy guitars and snarling vocals, all the rough and jagged edges of disaffected musicians past.

Riverby’s punk influences stretch into their larger decisions as well as their sound. In referencing the group’s decision to donate proceeds of their album to community bail funds, Greenberg said this “it’s important to remember that every major city and every single state is currently in the middle of protests — these are not isolated cities in your towns or your friends’ towns. And people need help. The people that are consciously putting themselves on the frontlines to spread these important messages are being, more often than not, detained by police simply by utilizing their First Amendment rights given to us by this government. … We have to protect each other, we have to stand up for each other, we have to defend each other. And most of all, we have to work with each other for a long period of time to build a foundation strong enough to hold us all, not just the few.”

Pre-order Smart Mouth here, and listen to “Nose to Nose” below.