By Leila Rocha
Musical artist and BHS alumni, Caleb Rippee, released a new EP that captures his emotions towards this current season. On October 1, 2023, Rippee dropped his new work The Autumn EP like a leaf from a tree changing in the Fall.
I had the pleasure of being able to interview Rippee in person barely over a week after the songs dropped to get to the bottom of what they truly express.
He radiated this sense of openness towards discussing the depth running through his lyrics; it felt like no question was off limits. He elaborately discussed all I desired to know to a substantial extent. You will see what I mean.
Acoustic sounds, emo, “shoegaze elements”, and ambience is how Rippee described The Autumn EP.
Drawing inspiration from, “the season of Autumn and the feelings that come along with it,” Rippee musically illustrates his feelings towards the beginning of a Fall out of high school. He explained, “That certain part of my life is over in a sense and there’s just…you know…all the emotions that come with it.”
He’s among the many who decide to take a path in life that doesn’t require a college education that our society holds in such high regards. However, he is also among those many who feel a sense of loneliness during these times. School just started back up, but he’s not going. It’s a state that triggers a variety of flowing emotions. People who were once in the same area are dispersing into the world, farther away from the comfort and familiarity of our small community.
Rippee credits himself for his lyrics in his EP, noting that he draws inspiration from various genres, as previously touched upon: “I’ve been listening to lots of, like, midwest emo…a lotta shoegaze…atmospheric kinda dark moody music.” He found midwest emo specifically inspiring for its “direct” and “straightforward” lyrics. However, he acknowledged that for listeners, they may need to provide some extra attention to certain lines to comprehensively understand and dissect his message.
When you stream The Autumn EP on Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll come across four songs; songs that Rippee considers quite personal, especially “Time” which he states is, “sort of a portrait of where I’m at currently.” He invites his listeners into his personal lifestyle and “bad daily habits” such as “staying up super late and…sleeping in.”
In elaboration, Rippee explains the depth that “Time” reaches: “just a lot of negative thoughts that start to form…especially when your lifestyle just kinda…deteriorates.” Evidently, he stays raw and authentic. Interestingly, Rippe also stated that this is a song he wrote on a piano opposed to a guitar that he usually gravitates towards.
Another of his songs, “Grunge is Dead,” he explains is, “Meant to be this simple, short little song…it’s sorta just like struggling to express how you feel to other people in a way…and the way you might, like, beat yourself up over the things you say.”
He clarifies that the message he carries throughout the song depicts social anxiety, “but more in just the sense of not being able to communicate your feelings with people close to you.”
Rippee noted that “Grunge is Dead” was a piece he wrote earlier than the rest and that it actually was not supposed to be on this new EP. However, his friends surrounding him admired the song, ultimately leading him to add it in.
With this EP primarily emphasizing the Fall season, Rippee admits while describing “Red Leaf” that although he loves Autumn, “I also hate it because…it’s kinda just the most depressing.” The topic regarding it being Rippee’s first Fall out of high school reenters the conversation: “A lot of my friends are going off to college and stuff, and, like, a lot of people close to me I’m not really seeing anymore.”
Despite the struggles, Rippee seems to particularly grasp onto these emotions in this song: “I kinda wanna embrace this much more bleak and, like, depressing time.”
Rippee exhibits no issue with projecting deeper contemplations in his music. In regards to “Shiver” he stated that it is, “straight up about alcohol addiction” and “alcoholism in general.” For so many, this is a sensitive topic that may be difficult to express to loved ones, not to mention potentially strangers drawn to their music. It’s a move that is specifically admirable in a society that establishes stigma around simply struggling.
Rippee gives listeners an intimate view into his struggles, “a lot of lines…kinda allude to…different motivations for it [alcohol].” He offers lyrics that exemplify this topic: “The chorus is just, “I don’t need you,” which is just…this thought that I feel like every person, myself included, who’s struggled with that has thoughts of like, “I don’t need it.””
Aside from the lyrics itself, Rippee explained his motivation behind writing. In the musical universe, there are artists that are trying to sell, artists trying to write as a form of freedom, and artists that perhaps mix the two and many more elements. Rippee falls under the umbrella of writing for himself: “It’s a way for me to kind of express myself in a way that I know how, or in a way that I’m able to.”
Considering Rippee’s personal life and emotions flow throughout his EP, it is no surprise that he is one to appreciate music to relate to. He describes the feeling that comes over him when relatable lyrics reach his ears: “there’s always like a line that, like, when it hits, you’re just like…ah man…you know?” He stated, “that hits you right in the feels or whatever.”
Throughout the interview, Rippee projected humble vibes mixed with overall kindness; the personality of a musical artist that deserves and eventually earns success. He is the kind of artist that genuinely appreciates his fans.
Rippee fortunately assures his listeners that he has more music coming out, and he suggests adding the songs on The Autumn EP to your Fall playlist. Do not be shy to follow Caleb Rippee on Instagram, @calebbrippee, and Spotify as Caleb Rippee. Be the one, or among the many, who support the local artist that went to our own BHS.
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