San Francisco trio Rin Tin Tiger, winners of SF Station event The Lineup earlier this year, is ready to unleash its first full album, Toxic Pocketbook, on July 24.

The album was recorded in analog, on two-inch tape at Tiny Telephone Studio in San Francisco, a perfect fit for the band’s organic folk rock. “We chose to record at Tiny Telephone because not only do they have the best reputation for tape recordings and live take vibes they also provide their house reels to bands to use for free,” says Sean Sullivan, the band’s bassist and vocalist. “We love the natural tones and feeling that come across with tape, and since we already record our albums live it made the most sense.”

However, Sullivan admits that choosing to record the album in analog came with its own challenges. “The biggest challenges for sure were the limitations that come with tape,” Sullivan says. “We managed to do everything including lead vocals completely live, which was a first for Tiny Telephone’s 14 year history.” It was in the process of mixing the album, he says, that challenges arose. “When you mix on tape, you set the knobs and after you bring up another song on another reel the mix is totally lost. If you want to change one level of an instrument you have to re-mix the entire song.  That is completely different than digital recording that we’ve used in the past.”

The album is available to stream in it’s entirety on Rin Tin Tiger’s website but it’s probably best served live at the band’s record release party alongside Tumbleweed Wanders at Great American Music Hall on July 26.

For a scene dominated by talented garage rock bands and electronic producers, San Francisco is getting a new spin from Rin Tin Tiger’s ear-pleasing indie-folk rock.

Rin Tin Tiger perform at Great American Music Hall on Thursday, July 26th.

• Tag: GAMH, Rin Tin Tiger