Rainy Day Women

“Runaway” is the new single off upcoming EP Friends, from Rainy Day Women.
Its garage rock guitars and steady, infectious harmonies dip you in and around a melody that cruises along, instantly forcing you to forget stress. The result is a delightfully languid pop tune with a sunny vibe. Get me to a beach with some sun, stat.
The Perth outfit released their debut EP Sleigh Bed earlier this year and have been busy touring with The Rubens, Emma Louise and San Cisco. They’ve also had spots at Groovin’ the Moo, Fuse, St Kilda and WAMi festivals.
Listen out for a release date for Friends, it should be soon.

Steph Italia - theripe.tv - theripe.tv

Tell us about your music - how did you develop your sound?

We’re really into classic pop songs with a great melody - mostly stuff from the 50’s-70’s. Like Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, The Beatles etc, all the classics. So I guess our sound is borrowed from all of those bands that we like but our focus is just to write good songs that stand strong melodically. Lots of harmonies, lots of hooks, lots of space for things to move.


What’s the Rainy Day Women live show like?

Our songs are pretty short and to the point on record, so we like to extend things out a bit live and get a groove happening. We just want to get good vibes across and do our best to make sure the audience is enjoying themselves. Not taking ourselves too seriously, I guess. We don’t wear shoes on stage.


Tell us about the bands, producers and people in the Perth music community that inspire you.

The producer for both of our EP’s so far, Andy Lawson (Debaser Studio) , has been quite a mentor. He’s really invested in what we’re doing and has taken the time to help us grow as songwriters (forgive the cliché). We love Perth exports like Tame Impala and bands that are doing their own thing. Place of Indigo are a local band that are going at a sound that isn’t the usual.


What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

I’ve heard a lot of people say this, but I think it was Sam from the Rubens that stuck it in my head. It was, that you should never write music with the main objective of it being widely liked. That’s not to say to stay away from writing pop songs, but just to be honest with song writing. It’s really easy to slip in and out of trends but people can tell when you’re being honest. Phases come and go, I'd rather be playing music that I was passionate about to an empty room than playing music that I didn’t like to thousands of people. A wise man once told me to eat the chips first because you can always save the burger for later, but the chips go soggy in the fridge.


What’s coming up in 2012?

We’ve just released a new single called ‘Runaway’ which is off our upcoming EP and are in the middle of a very busy month of shows promoting it. In between that we are writing for an album. Our new EP ‘Friends’ will be out in February and we’re so damn excited to share it!


Australian music is...

...exciting! You can trawl Unearthed for hours listening to different music that is generally of a pretty high standard. All of the Aussie bands that we have played with have all been such good people and that makes the whole thing so much more fun. There’s a community and a party wherever you go.

8 October 2012
- triple j Unearthed

The link to Bob Dylan for Perth indie-pop quartet Rainy Day Women, winners of the 2012 WAM Song of the Year, stretches beyond taking their name from Blonde on Blonde's opening track and the fact that their singer is named after the Minnesota Minstrel.
Frontman Dylan Ollivierre reveals that the rock'n'roll legend is a friend of his father Carl, who helped build Dylan's schooner Water Pearl on the tiny Caribbean island of Bequia.
Carl Ollivierre was a crewman on the Water Pearl, which launched in 1979, when he met a Perth woman working on board as a chef. "My parents met on Bob Dylan's yacht," the 22-year-old musician says.
Many years later in 2003, one lap of Dylan's Never Ending Tours washed ashore in Perth and Ollivierre, then a 13-year-old learning his first songs on acoustic guitar, met the legend.
"He said 'Do you know all the chords', and I said, as this arrogant, naive kid, 'Yeah, yeah, I know every chord on the guitar'," Ollivierre laughs. "He said to keep writing songs and pushed me along."
The cheeky youngster has become an ambitious songwriter, starring in various bands with former Winthrop Baptist College schoolmates Thomas Allison (bass) and Daniel Henry (drums) until they "stole" guitarist Ross Pickersgill from a rival band to form Rainy Day Women. The quartet's first official gig was at the WAMi Festival in May last year.
Rainy Day Women unveiled their debut EP Sleigh Bed earlier this year, the summery title track a last-minute inclusion. The song, about "a girl who thought she was too cool for school", soon found influential ears at Triple J, where it was added to the regular playlist.
While the EP earned the band two nominations in this year's WAMi Awards, it really paid dividends by taking out the grand prize and pop category at last week's WAM Song of the Year Award. The win netted Rainy Day Women $30,000 worth of prizes, including cash, studio time, distribution and CD pressing - the latter very timely given the band aims to release the follow-up EP, Friends, next March.
As Rainy Day Women begin work on a debut album, Ollivierre says the quartet has found their direction by taking inspiration from classic acts such as Fleetwood Mac, the Beach Boys and - of course - Dylan.

Simon Collins, 18 October 2012 - The Wire Mag (The West Australian)

These days, all you hear about Western Australia is the mining boom, but we here at Radar are far more interested in the music boom. While Brisbane might be stealing the spotlight with their surplus of show-stopping bands, four thousand kilometres west, Perth boasts its own rich vein of underground musical treasures.

In the past, the city’s been renown for its rock output - Eskimo Joe, Jebediah, Gyroscope, Tame Impala et al - but this time it’s a far more diverse collection of cool acts bubbling to the surface, everything from electro-pop to post-dubstep to ‘80s disco funk.

Here's ten Westside acts worthy of your attention right now. Let us know what you think…

Abbe May, Voltaire Twins, Pond, San Cisco, Felicity Groom, Emperors, Bastian's Happy Flight, Rainy Day Women, Runner, Ylem.

Rainy Day Women
Like The Beautiful Girls, Perth’s Rainy Day Women includes absolutely no females – rainy or otherwise. It does however feature four lads with a penchant for beautiful, drifting indie pop that’s as sunny as it is smart. If that flicks your switch, track down their recently released Sleigh Bed EP.



- Radar Music

"…Indie-rockers Rainy Day Women follow and win over the audience with their lively rhythm section, summery tales and self-deprecating banter. Accentuating the good vibes of the night, the four-piece leaves some undeniable hooks as the clock strikes midnight and Felicity Groom takes over." – Luke Butcher - The Drum Media Perth

…Rainy Day Women were a very different kettle of fish, almost sounding West Coast (US, that is) at times, but just when you thought they were taking it easy, things amped up quite nicely. The single, [Sleigh Bed], has clearly won them some followers and quite potentially some WAMi Award nods this weekend. – Bob Gordon - The Wire Mag (The West Australian)

UP-AND-COMING Perth band Rainy Day Women have said they were shocked but excited to learn of their nominations at the upcoming WAMi awards.

The pop rock outfit are up for Most Promising New Act and 2012 Breakthrough Act, set to be announced at the end of the festival on June 2.

Band members Dylan Ollivierre and Thomas Allison said they largely attribute their recognition to their debut EP Sleigh Bed, which they recorded in just four days last year, as well as the single of the same name.

The band recently played a coveted slot at the Groovin The Moo music festival in Bunbury, which featured big-name acts such as Kaiser Chiefs, Kimbra, Bluejuice, City and Colour and Public Enemy.

Ollivierre and Allison performed an acoustic rendition of Sleigh Bed for PerthNow.
The WAMi festival starts on Saturday and runs until June 2.

Rainy Day Women will perform at the WAMi Festival opening party on Saturday at The Bakery, Northbridge. - PerthNow

...Taking the mold of a summer festival and transporting it down to Bunbury, another sold-out Groovin The Moo had mother nature on its side and the first act to bask in the glorious sun was Needing Cherie, who probably made a few people regret not getting down earlier. Such quality was maintained with local acts Rainy Day Women and Stillwater Giants who both gave a pretty good crack at the big stage, getting the predominantly younger punters dancing to some bouncy indie-rock tunes. The former channeling a new Silverchair sound, the latter bringing their surfer-vibed indi, both acts showed why they’ve been getting plenty of local and national radio play and will no doubt be a staple of many festivals to come. Still in the early parts of the festival, it was unfortunate that many of the over-18s seemed to have favoured a sleep-in over the early drive as a very young audience was apparent. In the Moolin Rouge tent The Brow Horn Orchestra bought the party as only they do, only this time the party was a little smaller and had way too much backing track. - Luke Butcher and Rebekah Barnett - The Drum Media Perth

...While queuing outside, Rainy Day Women was playing their triple J Unearthed track, Sleigh Bed followed by their infectious ballad, Aimee, which was a good listen while lying sprawled on the grass. The band’s set of sleepy pop rock didn’t do much to groove any moo, but who cares, because the day was hot, the sun was slowing people down and all we wanted was to chill out like cows in a farm and head bob to their songs. The band proved to be quite promising and we’d love to see them again, probably in a much later time slot. - FasterLouder

Dylan Olivierre’s solo and name lead output has already proven him to be a solid singer/songwriter, so it’s no surprise that he’s reached new heights with the addition of a full-band line up. Sleigh Bed’s tracks are immediately catchy, but also emotionally varied and complex enough to ensure that the EP holds up to repeated listening. Songs such as Aimee and If are stellar pieces of indie-pop that prove this isn’t the last we’ll happily hear from these locals.

–The Drum Media (Feb 2012)
- The Drum Media Perth

Perth quintet Rainy Day Women make infectious, well structured indie pop that buries itself in your bones. A fusing of good songwriting, sunshine through the trees and harmonies create a track brimming with hope, joy and an outstretched hand looking for a reciprocal offer.
The inclusion of steel drums in the background gives the track a texture that elevates it above what you might expect from a regular indie pop band, and shows that this five-piece are more than just players on a stage, they are directors of their own future also.
– centuriesmusic.co.uk
- centuriesmusic.co.uk

I’m a huge indie fan. Throw me a Wooden Ships/Vampire Weekend style track, a glass of wine, a sunrise and I’m in heaven. So when I first got handed Sleigh Bed there was only happy vibes floating around in my head.
With a cheerful melody, catchy cute lyrics and a fantastic instrumental calibration, it’s no wonder Sleigh Bed is our Song of the Week.
If you’re any kind of legitimate Perth Muso, you will have already heard the hype around town and the fine notes of up coming indie group, Rainy Day Women’s latest track Sleigh Bed. As the band self describe, they’re not really women and their music isn’t really rainy at all. Dylan Ollivierre, Chris Chen, Tom Allison, Dan Henry & Ross Pickersgill are five local boys with big things ahead. Rainy Day Women is the perfect name for the band, with April weather creeping upon us as we wake up to that fresh rain on the bitumen smell and have a frosty cold nose in the morning. Rainy Day Woman’s newest EP is the perfect thing to be listening to on they way to work to put you in a good mood and keep you that way through perils over the work day.
The boys have already had oodles of success and achievements over the last few years. Recently getting back from a Melbourne stint and having had their Sleigh Bed EP release at Amps, we can expect to see some bright and not so rainy days ahead for the Rainy Day Women. ?I’d highly recommend Sleigh Bed be added to everyone’s playlist, even if you’re not an indie kind of person. Everyone needs that track that makes you stop, breathe, look around at the world and smile. Happy Listening! – Ashala Svetlana, Perth Sound & Found (April 2012)
- Perth Sound & Found

Rainy Day Women is an odd name for a band of five young men who make sunshiny indie-pop. It is, however, a good deal more fitting when one realises it is a nod to the opening song on Bob Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde, a track that’s jubilant energy better fits the band’s aesthetic.
Sleigh Bed is the debut EP from the local band, which centres around songwriter Dylan Ollivierre. The EP opens strongly as the scratchy Kooks-esque guitar chords of title track suddenly blossom into lush ‘60s vocal harmonies.
Following this, Betty Blue sings out a bluesy, organ-centric stomp which occasionally spirals off into psychedelic territories. It’s a fantastic tune but unfortunately the rest of the EP never reaches its high-water mark. If comes close, with its strutting rhythms and sing-along melodies but, whilst both Aimee and On The Run both feature some interesting sounds and good performances, they don’t have the same melodic craftsmanship of the earlier songs.
Overall though, it’s an impressive debut from a band already starting to attract some national attention. Where it’s at its strongest it is un-ashamedly pop, with bright melodies, clear harmonies and clever arrangements. – Henry Andersen, X-Press Magazine (March 2012)
- X-Press Magazine

As the cooler breeze cam in on a windswept Friday night at Amplifier Bar, people were out in force to break the heat and catch a glimpse of RAINY DAY WOMEN. Whilst there was no rain to put a dampener on the evening, these guys have worked tremendously hard to put together their debut EP ‘Sleigh Bed’…..

As the outdoors cooled, inside it heated up in anticipation of the headline act, Rainy Day Women. It was their night and they had their own dedicated fans out and about. RDW have also had some decent hype around them lately, what with Triple J airplay and their upcoming festival spot in Melbourne set to play with some big acts. The five-piece took to the stage shoeless, and it all seemed very casual as they ripped straight into their set. You could pick the melancholic pop hits, however they lacked a bit of edge, with songs sounding quite similar rhythmically. That didn’t stop their fans getting into it, dancing to the guitars and the ultra sharp bass lines, and singing to the dreamy and dynamic vocals. They did a rendition of a Ben E. King song ‘Stand By Me’, which was full of love and left the women and even the men gasping.

– Michael Antonas, Space Ship News
- Space Ship News

The recent release of local lads Rainy Day Women Sleigh Bed EP at Amplifier only goes to support such already widely circulated claims that the Perth music scene is increasingly impressive. The night started with supports from fellow Perth groups, Sam Carmody and the Warning Birds, a band that should have an eye irrefutably placed upon it, TV Snow, whose light vocals are a defining feature and The Ghost Hotel who have a low toned country rock vibe that is accompanied by a catchy, catchy beat.

As a young band who formed only in 2011, the most striking thing of the Sleigh Bed release was the creation of such a together sound. For a group named Rainy Day Women, the set provided was ultimately a contradiction. Sweet harmonies and light hearted lyrics with cheerful melodies and quirky guitar riffs displayed the youthful, shiny tunes which have caused the group’s music to be seen as a nod to the likes of Vampire Weekend.

The lads steadily made their way through the EP, with crowd pleasers ‘If’ and John Lennon’s ‘Stand By Me’ acting as a uniting force to introduce ‘Sleigh Bed’. Clearly enjoying their time on stage, and conquering the ability to be mellow at times and then rock out an ending at others, the only real down side being the sound levels made the use of the keyboard ineffective until a miniature version was used. The light hearted nature of the entire gig was nothing but enjoyable as this crowd was clearly home grown and familiar to the band, with the last ‘La Da Da’ being an entirely fitting end.

Sweet tunes and a sweet stage disposition, these local lads have big things to come.
- Amy McKie – Colosoul // Magazine
- Colosoul

Lively and assured indie pop.
It’s probably not necessary to point out that Rainy Day Women is a band of men who sound nothing like Bob Dylan. The recently-formed Perth quintet make systematically pleasant indie pop and their debut EP, Sleigh Bed, is speckled with percussive handclaps, catchy riffs and tapering choruses. While the pretty vocals and bouncing tunes are not especially original, the band is tight and the songs are insistently interesting. There’s a grit and determination, most obviously present on second track Betty Blue, which ensures that the music has a defiantly engaging temperament, hinting at something more. Rainy Day Women are in danger of blending into the plethora of similar bands populating the genre, but they mark themselves as promising. If they want to see success, they’ll need to work to differentiate – but the potential is certainly there.
- DAN DIXON, Rave Magazine - Brisbane Street Press
- Rave Magazine

"‘Sleigh Bed’ has been ringing delightfully in my ear for a few days now. Its smooth almost easy listening edge is the most warm welcome. Albeit its obvious influences in recent bands like Vampire Weekend and The Jungle Giants but could also be seen to draw from all the way back to the likes of Alex Chilton." - Nick, theorangepress.net - theorangepress.net

“Smooth harmonies, a great bass line, a nod to Vampire Weekend... it all makes for a shining indie pop tune.” 4/5 – Dom Alessio, triple j - Triple J Unearthed

"If this debut is proof the boys are well on their way to forging an illustrious style. They’ve developed a consistent feeling of relaxation, armoured with a balanced blend of acoustic guitar, harmonious vocals and smooth melodies." - Sophie Yeomans (Space Ship News) - Space Ship News

"Full of simple yet captivating melodies that have you subconsciously bopping in time, it's a smooth and consistent sound, a relaxed vibe right throughout and voices a musical maturity far beyond the years of these four twenty year old men...it's short and sweet but will surely become part of your 'most played' iTunes playlist in no time. - Aimee Somerville (The Drum Media)
- The Drum Media Perth

"They'll Indie rock you when you're at the breakfast table... It's an explosive and punchy debut that capitalises on the energy of the early End Of Fashion EPs." - Jason Kenny (The Drum Media)
- The Drum Media Perth

"It is a bit of a killer and it does grab your attention...Tight, professional and harmonic" - Matt James (dwarf.com)
- Dwarf.com

Taking to the stage to launch their newest single 'If', Rainy Day Women treated the full basement to some slow grooves and danceable ditties early. Channeling the stronger moments of The Kooks or Goo Goo Dolls, the haunting organs and bustling stage energy could have drawn away from the songs themselves, however the professionalism and craftsmanship ensured the contrary. Prepared to bring the big grooves or rock it out when necessary, some elaborated bridges and burly crescendos pleased the crowd before a cover of George Michael's 'Faith' lead to the launch of 'If' and a closing track that had the whole room grooving. - Luke Butcher - The Drum Media Perth