Insider Monthly #3
In this month’s Insider Monthly—our supporters newsletter—we discuss Dennis Wilson, Friko, Sunny Day Real Estate, and our highlights and disappointments from March’s new releases.
Hello everyone!
Welcome to March’s Insider Monthly—our supporters-only newsletter where we step behind the No Ripcord curtain and talk honestly about what we’ve been listening to, arguing about, and thinking through each month.
🎧 Our favourite album of the month
💔 Our biggest disappointment
🔜 The album we’re most excited for next
💿 A classic record we can't stop playing
📝 Plus some personal notes and behind-the-scenes reflections from running the site
The opening section is free to read — supporters receive the full edition each month.
So, if you enjoy this preview, please consider becoming a supporter for just $20 per year. Your support helps keep No Ripcord independent, ad-free, and fiercely opinionated—your home of honest music criticism.
🎧 Album of the Month
David:
I had no expectations or preconceptions when I approached According To…, the collaboration between veteran producer RJD2 and Greenville, NC rapper Supastition. What I found make me grin like an idiot: a joyous grown-up rap record, bursting with the spirit of ’90s underground Hip Hop. While ELUCID and Sebb Bash pushed the boundaries on their excellent I Guess U Had To Be There, RJD2 and Supastition brought grade A beats, stellar rhymes, and a whole heap of fun.
David Coleman
Juan:
To no one’s surprise, The Twilight Sad’s phenomenal return after seven years gets my pick. For those who regularly read the site, I don’t drop 9/10s very often, and IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE is the highest score I’ve given to albums I’ve written about since Andy Shauf’s Norm in 2023. I often wrestle with myself about praising any given album, but the Scottish veterans made it easy for me with their raw, life-affirming—and very listenable—songs. I still believe that Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters is their masterpiece, but GOODBYE might be their second best. I’m sure I’ve exhausted my thoughts on the album, so if you haven’t read it yet, my full review below has you covered.
Juan Edgardo Rodríguez
