Colorado folk-rock band Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners has been making music together since high school. Taking inspiration from Gregory Alan Isakov, Fleet Foxes, The Head and the Heart, Bon Iver, and the like, they have created a unique sound that reflects their love of folk and the joy of making music together. After graduating high school in 2017, the band released RMCM, their debut album. The friends parted ways but continued to make music when they could, not expecting recognition, but using the band as an excuse to stay in touch. Years later, the opening track “Evergreen” gained widespread recognition through TikTok, launching RMCM into national fame and earning them a spot on the Billboard Hot 100. From there, a loyal fanbase was ready and waiting to receive their sophomore album, Subliming. Since then, the band has collaborated with artists like Caamp and Mt. Joy, finishing their second tour and relocating to Seattle, where the outdoorsy folk-enjoying music scene has welcomed them with open arms.
On March 7, RMCM released Colorado’s On Fire Again, their fourth studio album and a project five years in the making. Speaking to the significance of this album, lead singer Mitch Cutts says, “It was written to convey the feeling of our world slowly burning down, and how wildfire tends to be a part of this cyclical ecology where devastation is followed by eventual rebirth.”
The opening track, “Berry Herman,” laments the fear and sadness of watching your home state burn. He sings about “Picking up the pieces of this world I grew up in,” only to escape to brighter, safer places. Intimate acoustics fade into soaring instrumentation, which eventually transitions seamlessly into “Churchill,” which is both a sonic and lyrical return home. “Santiago” explores similar themes, with Cutts finding himself longing for home after traveling the world. “Xrunk” and “Heywood” are more subdued, both dreamy love songs. Cutts admits that he deserves better but sings anyway that he’ll “be right there beside you / Waiting for the day that you call yourself mine.” A continuation of this admission, “Henson’s Dream” is a largely instrumental, electric guitar-heavy track that turns into another dreamy soundscape. “Talons” and “Sweet Summer” see a return to RMCM’s roots, centering piano and acoustic guitar. “7052” feels similarly intimate and bleeds into the closing track, “October Moon.” A standout on the album and the name of RMCM’s 2024 tour, the Band of Horses-inspired tune picks up just enough to bring us home alongside folksy vocals and more soaring guitar.
Colorado’s On Fire Again sees the band sinking their teeth into moodier themes and maturing in terms of RMCM takes a thoughtful step back on this album, a project that feels more introspective while also flaunting lush instrumentation and stepping up its production. The new album embraces moodier themes and stripped vocals, creating the perfect soundtrack for a PNW spring. Proceeds from the album are going to Wildfire Councils across Colorado.
