John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year
NEW England Music Awards
Best In State, RHODE Island
WBRU Rock Hunt Champions
The Rare Occasions are an LA-based, New England-bred indie rock band known for their explosive garage rock anthems with catchy vocal harmonies.
Brian McLaughlin (singer) and Luke Imbusch (drummer) have been making music together since their early teenage years. They formed The Rare Occasions while attending college in Boston where they met Jeremy Cohen (bassist). Since then, the band have toured nationally, won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and released a vast catalog of music online.
In 2021 the band released their first album as a trio, Big Whoop, which received significant press and radio play. Around the same time, their 2016 track “Notion” went viral on TikTok and continues to make waves, topping Spotify’s viral chart in the US and several other countries, and later landing on Billboard’s alternative charts and top 100 singles charts in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.
They've since released an EP (Nov 2022) and a new single "Black Balloons" in October 2023 marking the start of a new release cycle. The 2nd single, "Darling, The Planets" comes out on April 26th with more to come this year.
““Exhilarating garage rock...packed with infectious melodic hooks and catchy vocal harmonies, making it an instant earworm””
““Like actual origami, the track is intricate, really showcasing the group’s talent and dedication...With their sound and lead singer Brian McLaughlin’s voice, it can easily remind anyone of The Strokes or early Arctic Monkeys.””
““The Rare Occasions have always had a knack for overdrive and dynamic juxtaposition. Recent years have seen the band grow into a sleek machine of tight, fierce sonics balanced by raw human thought and emotion. Their niche is one where broiling left-of-center rock meets intellectual stimulation and curiosity.””
