Today, we are so stoked to share with you the premiere of Ryan Rockwell’s next single, “OPE (We should catch up)” - an airy, yet emotionally weighty indie pop punk ditty ready to make you smile, maybe a little sadly, maybe with a bit of purpose, ahead of his first solo full-length release, Smurf King, in early 2024.
You may know Ryan from his old band Mixtapes (RIP), but fear not - the pop punk vibes are strong in this one. But, it’s not all peaches and gravy. The song itself was meant to be one thing, but turned into something else in a tragic instant.
“The song “OPE” was a little lighter tone wise at the time, but I really loved the song. I remember pretty specifically being at the studio, and this is one of the songs we were working on at the time. I found out my friend Josh had passed away that morning, and it hit me hard,” Rockwell tells me. “When that happened I kind of flipped it on the spot, and rewrote a good amount of lyrics, specifically the hook. I already had enough sad songs for the album, so I didn’t want to go the obvious route. This is someone that I was in my first real band with, this is someone who is considered family, just an old school friend who was truly a ray of sunshine.”
“I just wanted to make a song about celebrating life and being happy to be here, but also how we really need to make sure to tell those loved ones that we love them.”
And here it is. Take a look at and give a listen to Rockwell’s fourth single, “OPE (We should catch up) below, and stay tuned for more about the album and future shows around Cincy!
