Notion

Notion (Acoustic)

Notion (Cinematic)

Seasick

Not Afraid

Start This Over

Caterpillar!

Turnaround

Because You Love Me

squirm
credits
released 06 May 2014 
suggested download price: $5 

The Rare Occasions 
Feelers 

Brian McLaughlin: 
lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, ukulele 

Peter Stone: 
electric guitar, backing vocals 

Jeremy Cohen: 
bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals 

Luke Imbusch: 
drums, backing vocals, bells, tambourine 


Tracks 1, 2, 3, and 5 recorded and engineered by Brian McLaughlin except drums tracked at Stone Otis Studios, Framingham, MA. 

Track 4 recorded and engineered by Steve Sacco at The Record Company, Boston, MA. 

Produced by Brian McLaughlin 

Mastered by Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA 

Cover photo by Deanna Archetto 

Special thanks to our manager Arianna Soto 

© 2014 the rare occasions

Halfheartedly

Black Balloons

Recorded by Steve Sacco at The Record Company.
Mixed by Brian McLaughlin.
Mastered by Maria Rice at Peerless in Boston.
Album Art by Scott Halloran.

Aglow

Bug Eyes

Loans

Futureproof

"Backwards" single by The Rare Occasions.

Available for download at https://therareoccasions.bandcamp.com/track/backwards

Into The Shallows

Backwards

All songs written and produced by The Rare Occasions.
Mixed by Brian McLaughlin in Pasadena, CA.
Mastered by Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston, MA.
Album art by David Navas.

Physics

Shutting You Out

You Weren't Meant to See That

Mercy Mercy

The Shallows

little vulture come down from your nest
until you catch your own the world is not impressed
you built a culture of lies; a fortress fit for no other
so is it any surprise when there’s shit to uncover?

own the sonnets sweeping through their heads
move the sand that blocks the roots you wish to spread
all you need is control; eyes at every corner
there’s nothing you couldn’t know; not a speck of disorder

buildings glisten all around
cities rising from the ground
buildings glisten all around
cities rising from the ground

but I know the shape of your heart
when you drag them out in the dark
 
oh paranoia led you to detain
more than a million getting in your way
you feel that commerce pulsing through your veins

oh paranoia led you to detain
more than a million getting in your way
you feel that commerce pulsing through your veins

little vulture come down from your nest
until you catch your own the world is not impressed
you built a culture of lies; a fortress fit for no other
so is it any surprise when it breaks it breaks it breaks it breaks

and I know the weight of war
said I know the weight of war
I’ve held it off before
still I cave
I cave
I cave

Control

I take time kicking it down the line
I don’t know where I’m going where I’m going
I think twice before taking your advice
‘cause I can see your ignorance is showing

you say “real estate is what you need
a little place beside the sea
if you don’t fall in line
then you’re no son of mine”

so I swing my shoulder through the thick of it
and face tomorrow alone
because you own me and I’m sick of it
but you don’t own me no more

where’ve we seen this before?
the age was gilded; cronuts weren’t to blame
your world is purely transactional
why don’t you look around and think 
before you blurt out gems like:

“jewelry is what you want
a sterling piece that you can flaunt
if you don’t fall in line
then you’re no son of mine”

so I swing my shoulder through the thick of it
and face tomorrow alone
because you own me and I’m sick of it
but you don’t own me no more

no more
no more
no more

Alone

I close my eyes and I drift into another life
one where I’m only the sparrow in the window

my wings flutter fast and I see myself inside the glass
pacing and pondering how we fell from happy

my love she turns a shoulder
scrolls the web with her eyes glazed over

and I have seen it all
I’ve seen it all
I’ve seen it all

I fall to the ground, feel this darkness pull me down,
and crash in a harrowing plume of smoke and feathers

she wanders over to piece me back together

Big Whoop

Sparrow

Miss Mary Mack

Silhouettes

Such is the Way

pop it do it flip it I wanna see it
however many tries until you get it
send it catch it stick it I wanna see it
however many tries it takes

I feel it go
zip down the road
shinners and razortail
and I couldn’t give a damn about it

flick of the toe
don’t land primo
just have to find the grip 
stomp it. bolts.

the end is near

I feel it go
flick of the toe
just have to find the grip 
stomp it. bolts.

Wallenberg, El Toro, MACBA three
just like I have seen on my TV
ok ok ok ok ok ok 

pop it flip it catch it stick it

I feel it go
zip down the road
shinners and razortail
and I couldn’t give a damn about it

flick of the toe
don’t land primo
just have to find the grip 
stomp it. bolts.

Bolts

take a look at me
crumpled up on the floor feeling lonely
honestly something is wrong with me

I’ve been freaking out
folding myself into origami
terrified of what they would think of me

I’ll face the night deep in starlight
shadows unwind deep in starlight

there’s another way
apart from this misery and it’s got me
wondering exactly what I’m missing

take a look at me
crumpled up on the floor feeling lonely
honestly something is wrong with me

I’ll face the night deep in starlight
shadows unwind deep in starlight

I’ll face the night

Origami

I don’t know where I am
facing the great unknown
we move in circles
and find our way back home

a quiet country house
with horses in the yard
oh steeplechaser
you’re not getting very far

I know you far too well to get cynical
things seem to turn around when they’re miserable
breaking apart the worst you’ve been through 
that never knocked the wind out of you
I know you far too well to get cynical

so when the story sets
over this fractured land
d’you think they’ll notice?
d’you think they’ll understand?

that we are all that’s left
we are the pioneers
and there’s no pretty way
to make it outta here

I know you far too well to get cynical
things seem to turn around when they’re miserable
breaking apart the worst you’ve been through
that never knocked the wind out of you
I know you far too well to get cynical

clutching the hand of the ever-present heartbeat
the tower’s ticking but it never reaches empty
and you can’t pull the fire down into the dark
when the kiln is burning deeper than the dusk

I know you far too well to get cynical
things seem to turn around when they’re miserable
breaking apart the worst you’ve been through
that never knocked the wind out of you
I know you far too well to get cynical
to get cynical
to get cynical

Cynical

sometimes I fade into the dark
and set my heart wild
unravel in your arms so tired

I try to be there all the time
and pull my own weight
but I don’t know why you stay

through the old maze where we used to wander
there’s a cold weight that never could be conquered
when the starlight was never quite enough for you
had to realign everything I thought I knew

some people wait in silence
until they forget what they want
and some people fight with a resolute heart
for each breath on this earth that they’ve got
I try and find the courage
to carry myself to the start
cuz I wanna be the one you think to call
when you’re lost and your tires are shot
but I’m not
no I’m not

sometimes I fade into the dark
and set my heart wild
but I don’t know why you stay

stay

stay

Stay

New song "BLACK BALLOONS" out now!👇
https://linktr.ee/therareoccasions

The Rare Occasions are an LA-based, New England-bred indie rock band known for their explosive garage rock anthems with catchy vocal harmonies.
Brian McLaughlin (singer) and Luke Imbusch (drummer) have been making music together since their early teenage years. They formed The Rare Occasions while attending college in Boston where they met Jeremy Cohen (bassist). Since then, the band have toured nationally, won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and released a vast catalog of music online.
In 2021 the band released their first album as a trio, Big Whoop, which received significant press and radio play. Around the same time, their 2016 track “Notion” went viral on TikTok and continues to make waves, topping Spotify’s viral chart in the US and several other countries, and later landing on Billboard’s alternative charts and top 100 singles charts in the UK, Ireland, and Canada. 
The Rare Occasions are set to release a new EP this fall. The first single “Seasick” has already garnered the attention of radio DJs across the country including SiriusXM’s Alt Nation. The band looks forward to sharing their unique blend of hard-hitting riffs, danceable grooves, and ear-catching melodies with audiences across the US and Canada during their upcoming fall 2022 tour.

The Rare Occasions

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