In anticipation of their upcoming EP release ‘The Tyrant King,’ Redwood Revolution is releasing a new version of their previous single, also called “The Tyrant King,” mastered by Xeff Scolari.
Here is the link to the older track for reference.
In the newer version, the band notes that they added a whole new bassline section. While listening to the newly mastered single, I couldn’t help but compare it to the previous track. There were some marked differences. The overall recording now has better fidelity. The piano in the beginning feels clearer and more distinct. Guest vocalist, Holly Murphy’s vocals feel better embedded into the track. The track still contains reverb, but rather than distract, it enhances the overall atmosphere.
Murphy really has a beautiful voice. While the old version picks up on that, the new rendition does a better job at getting that across. The drumming and guitars are also much improved, and together with the addition of the new bassline in the rhythms section, the instrumentals flowed more harmoniously than before.
This is a haunting track filled with dark themes. Lyrically, the song is about Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were both killed by ICE/CBP agents during protests in Minneapolis on January 2026. The track honors their lives, and I noticed that throughout the song, the band would pay ode to them by pairing their surnames ‘Pretti Good.’ “We’re Pretti Good at protesting, the abuses of the Tyrant King/We’re good at resisting, and standing up to the Tyrant King.” Or here where the lyrics get especially poignant: “He’s Pretti Good at observing with a camera in his hand/He’s documenting, the abuses of the Man…/And he’s dying, blood runs out into the street/And we’re crying (we’re crying out) for liberty, to be free!”
The otherworldly piano and marching drumbeat in the beginning perfectly offset the track as Murphy belts out “She’s Pretti Good at everything, like standing up to the Tyrant King.” To me, the chilling piano melody adds an overall sense of discord to the track. The piano is joined by a marching backbeat, then segues into some noodling on the guitar. Underlining this entire section is the bass and the drumming, which acts like a heartbeat to the entire piece.
The band is also including a stripped bonus version in the EP. Here, Murphy’s voice is accompanied solely by the piano. This acoustic version felt even more chilling and haunting than the full band version. The lyrics seem to reverberate more deeply here, and Murphy’s vocals really seem more fully embodied on this particular piece. With Murphy’s vocals right in front and center, there’s no avoiding the full-on stark power of the lyrics. Here it really seems as if Murphy is baring her soul as she sings with heartbreaking clarity of the tragic events at the ICE protests earlier this year.
The band has done something noteworthy on both the remastered track and the stripped version. They show resilience and versatility by adding improvements to their own body of work. It’s obvious that they’ve come a long way and in such a short amount of time, too, demonstrating their fast adaptability skills and willingness to improve. The group is clearly on the cusp of evolution. They are constantly evolving, reworking old material, and implementing new ideas into their sound. This makes me excited about their upcoming EP, which also features guest vocalist Holly Murphy. With another EP slated for this Fall from the band, it looks like they have a lot of exciting and innovative things going for them. I wish them the best of luck.
SCORE/Excellent: Redwood Revolution’s “The Tyrant King” is a socially conscious protest song that dives deep into the political landscape today. Searing and provocative, the lyrics speak directly to the heart with explicit imagery of blood running in the streets and our cries for liberty. Musically, the piano, drumming beat, guitars, along with the addition of basslines, all complement Holly Murphy’s haunting vocals and the immediate storytelling. With the newer versions, the production and mixing are much improved. I give them an ‘Excellent’ rating, since overall, this track worked very well. However, I didn’t give them a perfect score because I think the reverb on this track could be taken down a notch. I think a little more fidelity and clarity could help push this into the Outstanding arena.
[We rank singles, EP’s and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent and Outstanding]
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