Redwood Revolution has been a musical staple within the Eureka, Humboldt County, CA community, frequently playing live sounds at local venues like The Siren’s Song Tavern and community broadcasts on Access Humboldt. Their arresting music spans across various genres – everything from proto-punk, garage rock, and blues rock to neo-psychedelia. Their genre-defying blend proves to exist outside of trends and fads, going on to pave their own righteous path with a sound all their own.
The band is led by Beth Isbell, a proudly out transwoman whose creativity and experiences add a nuanced dimension to every song the band has released. Together with Holly Murphy (piano, vocals), Ray Triana (lead guitarist), Josh Borgen (bassist), and Spencer Kennedy (drummer), the band is known for their deep lyrics, poignant storytelling, and overall dynamic sound.
The EP opens up with the title-track, “The Tyrant King.” I’ve already done a past review on this track when the remaster was first released. Here is the link to the review. Upon revisiting this song, I was once more impressed by the moody layers and the searing details. The hypnotic drumming beat and haunting melody hit me all over again. The urgency of the lyrics, which talk about Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were both killed by ICE/CBP agents during protests in Minneapolis on January 2026, honors their lives with deeply moving lyrics. I already said this in my previous review, but would like to reiterate it again, since I thought it was an interesting detail that the band combines Alex Pretti and Renee Good’s surname (Pretti Good) to make the lyrics even more powerful: “She’s Pretti Good at everything, like standing up to the Tyrant King.” Or here “We’re Pretti Good at protesting, the abuses of the Tyrant King.” And here, “We’re Pretti Good at resisting, and standing up to the Tyrant King.” The title-track’s themes of loss and outrage for a broken system prove to be the cornerstone of the EP. Altogether, the haunting lyrics and Murphy’s soulful vocal delivery make this track stand out to me.
Up next is the piano ballad “We Are The Gods.” Here Murphy’s beautiful vocals once more captivates. Interestingly enough, this is not a fully original song from the band. Though Isbell wrote most of the lyrics, this track also covers lyrics and melody from David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in the bridge, so the song credits both Isbell and David Bowie as the songwriters. Typical of a ballad, the song slowly builds up in momentum, creating a slow-burning vibe that eventually simmers into something more later on in the track. A piano melody underlines this track. The dynamic instrument accompanies Murphy’s lovely vocals very well. Backing from the drums and guitar also adds an arresting vibe.
Toward “Venus,” synths and the piano opens up the track. Drenched in reverb, Murphy’s vocals here sound raw and vulnerable as she belts out the lyrics with absolute feeling. Lyrically, the song talks about alienation and feeling a sense of abandonment after a friend/partner leaves. The impact of the dynamic storytelling paired together with Murphy’s power delivery clinches this as one of the highlights on the EP. Every nuance and raw emotional detail of this track immediately drew me into the world of the protagonist. Definitely a sad song, it gave me chills just listening to it. Another haunting and beautiful track from the band.
Following is “Rocket Man,” which seems to be a departure from the band’s more serious songs. This track embraces their more fun-loving side, with lyrics like: “I am a Rocketman/Fly my spaceship straight up the stars/I am a Rocketman/Babe, I just want to be where you are.” And here, where Murphy coos and croons: “In the evening, when I’m feeling thin/And I plug in our favorite mixtape in/Babe, you know that I’ll be thinking of/the night we committed our last mortal sin/9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, ,2, 1…” It’s good to see the band having fun playing around with the lyrics and the band showing their playful side with the sound of liftoff in the beginning. Musically, the song sounded slightly bluesy with Murphy singing with her heart on her sleeve. The piano was still as breathtaking as ever. Paired with the guitar and smattering of drums, this made for an arresting ambience.
“Angels” sees the band delving into more country-blues territory. The smoldering and slow-burning quality of the music takes its time in unfolding. Toward the 0:40 and 1:40 marks, a guitar solo soars and grabs listeners’ attention. The track is filled with imagery of angels, prayers, and sunlight. This evokes a light and airy atmosphere. Paired together with Murphy’s wonderful vocals, this track positively feels heaven-sent!
‘The Tyrant King EP’ includes a bonus track, the stripped version of “The Tyrant King,” which, I’d like to mention I’d already covered in a past review. Read here. For those who haven’t read the review, this stripped-back version felt even more compelling than the original. With only the piano accompanying Murphy’s vocals, the lyrics stood out even more starkly this time, immersing audiences even more deeply into the poignant storytelling and details. This moving stripped version closes the EP on a powerful note.
In the notes, Redwood Revolution comments that this is a “death-transcendence concept EP.” According to the band, the Tyrant King has taken over the earth. We need to use what we have to defeat him. With the “Gods, Angels, Rockmen, and Rocketgirls on our side” we can make it happen! This is the kind of message I can see myself getting behind. The Tyrant King EP strives to get the band’s message across, and it manages to do so with grace and sincerity. This was an honest album filled with political and social themes that doesn’t sound too preachy at all. It is a good balance, and the album ended up feeling very real to me. I was impressed by everything, from the lyrics to the production and mixing—it all worked out in the band’s favor.
SCORE/Outstanding: The band has really done a good job here. The music is definitely different from whatever is playing out there on the radio. Rather than follow what’s popular or trending, Redwood Revolution knows the type of music they want to make and follow it to a T. The results are truly unique and creative. This beautiful EP is a work of art from beginning to end. Guest vocalist Holly Murphy fleshes out these tracks, and together with Isbell’s strong songwriting skills and arrangements, these tracks feel brimming with powerful and searing notes. A solid piece of work that aptly defines our times. Poignant, beautiful, powerful…there’s just not enough adjectives in existence to describe this EP.
[We rank albums, EPs and singles on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]
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