Artist
Ronboy
Ronboy is a music group. Their discography on Gatefold includes 1 record.
1
Albums tracked
0
In collections
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Since
Biography
Julia Tepper built Ronboy out of Los Angeles by treating dream pop like a contact sport. Instead of drowning weak hooks in two gallons of reverb and hoping for the best, she anchor-dropped heavy basslines, analog synths, and deadpan vocal delivery straight down the center of the mix. It caught ears fast. Matt Berninger of The National tapped her to sing backing vocals across his 2020 solo record Serpentine Prison, and you can hear why: her phrasing doesn't glide over a track, it drags its boots through it. She debuted properly with Velvet in 2020 before locking in with producer and multi-instrumentalist Derek Howa to carve out Pity to Love in 2022. The record sidesteps the usual bedroom-pop tropes by committing to real drum weight and razor-sharp dynamic cuts. By the time Get Rich landed in 2026, the gauzy edges were stripped clean for a leaner, punchier bite. It is moody indie rock made by someone who actually cares about low-end punch and economic songwriting.
The Arc of Ronboy
The pivots — what forced Ronboy to reinvent.
The Velvet Introductions
Dropping early singles and the Velvet EP around 2020, Ronboy established a dark, textural blueprint right out of the gate. The work immediately caught the ear of Matt Berninger, pulling Tepper into high-profile session work while carving out her own lane. The tracks leaned heavily into spacious synth work and brooding vocal arrangements. It was the sound of an artist using atmosphere to set the floor rather than hide the songs.
Pity to Love and the Shift to Heavy Dynamics
Teaming up with producer Derek Howa for 2022's Pity to Love, the sound shifted from ambient wash to direct, physical alternative rock. The arrangements tightened up around driving percussion, distorted bass tones, and upfront vocal tracks. Songs like 'Say It' showed a willingness to let silence and sudden volume shifts do the heavy lifting. It proved Ronboy wasn't just a mood-board project, but a sharply focused rock outfit.
The Lean Punch of Get Rich
By the arrival of Get Rich in 2026, the sound shed whatever lingering shoegaze haze remained in favor of raw rhythm and sharper hooks. The production pulled back the atmospheric curtains to let the rhythm section drive hard against stark, cynical lyrical turns. It cuts down the runtime fat and bets everything on immediate tension. The record locks into a concise, no-bullshit delivery that hits hard and gets out of the way.
Influences
- The National — Tepper collaborated directly with frontman Matt Berninger on his 2020 solo record Serpentine Prison. You hear that baritone-adjacent restraint and deliberate, slow-burn lyrical pacing across Ronboy's verses. It shaped how she uses space instead of over-singing.
- PJ Harvey — Harvey's raw, rhythm-first alternative rock from the 1990s serves as the clear template for Tepper's stark vocal delivery. You can hear it in the distorted bass rumbles and deadpan menace all over Pity to Love. It provides the bite beneath the synths.
- Cocteau Twins — Robin Guthrie's layered, chorus-drenched guitar textures laid the foundation for Ronboy's early atmospheric tone on Velvet. The sweeping guitar washes and melancholic chord shifts echo the 4AD catalog directly. It gives the dreamier passages their floating weight.
- St. Vincent — Annie Clark established the modern standard for jagged, fuzz-heavy guitar riffs cutting through sleek indie-pop production. Ronboy adopts that exact contrast on Get Rich, pairing glossy hooks with sudden, abrasive sonic bites. It turns clean arrangements into combat zones.
- Mazzy Star — Hope Sandoval's hypnotic, slow-core vocal delivery predates the modern indie twilight sound by decades. Ronboy borrows that detached, intimate microphone presence on slower cuts like 'Always Darker'. It anchors the mood without relying on vocal acrobatics.
Discography
Their records — most-collected first.
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