Nothing Rhymes with Orange

Nothing Rhymes with Orange

Nothing Rhymes with Orange is an indie group from Miami, United States. The line-up centres on the Coccaro brothers, with Carl Almasy on vocals and Rich on guitar, and is completed by Sexton on drums and Cruz on bass, who perform as “The Dereks”.

Career and releases

The group first releases Soho, a set of songs that introduces it to the South Florida music scene. It later issues the EP Under a Spell, which showcases new material, and records selected tracks with producer Charles Dye and mix engineer Bob Rosa. In 2004 it independently releases Polite Gothic, which reaches a wider audience through college radio and stays in rotation during 2005 and 2006.

The band’s first UK single, Billy the Kid, appears in 2007 and is named among the best singles of that year by Billy Sloan at Clyde 1 Radio in Glasgow. Kill the Vibe, mixed by Chris Kimsey, is later also named among the best singles of 2008 by Billy Sloan and reaches the American college radio Top 20, including a three-week number one run at KSYM in Texas. Both tracks later appear on Hello Mysterious in 2009, which is mastered by Ted Jensen. The band also has three singles receive regional radio airplay in the UK, from Aberdeen to Bristol.

Style and recognition

Nothing Rhymes with Orange draws on UK influences and is associated with an indie sound that has been compared to Jet and Blur. Its songwriting is described through a mix of catchy melodies and a foreign sound, and it builds a reputation through support slots with acts including Red Hot Chili Peppers, One Republic, John Mayer, Switchfoot, The Braver and The Raveonettes.

Recorded work

The group’s later collection, The Happiness Struggle, contains 11 new tracks. Across its releases, the band works with Charles Dye, Bob Rosa, Chris Kimsey and Ted Jensen, and its songs receive attention in both the US and UK.