Jason Phillips
In Nashville’s buzzing indie scene, Rip Gerber stands out like a revved-up muscle car in a lane of hybrids. With his newest single “Limited Speed,” the genre-blurring artist taps into the emotional turbulence of love’s pacing, pairing raw vulnerability with high-octane visuals featuring professional race car driver Zoë Barry of the DART Racing Team.
The track blends Gerber’s soul-bearing songwriting with cinematic storytelling. It captures the feeling of loving someone who is moving too fast while you are still trying to find your rhythm. “It’s about chasing love at different speeds,” Gerber explains. “Me? I’m trying to savor the ride. Her? She’s flooring it to the finish.”
The metaphor plays out vividly in the official video, which Gerber directed himself. It cuts between scenes of him cruising through the laid-back streets of Nashville’s 12 South neighborhood and Zoë Barry racing full throttle in a McLaren Artura GT4. The contrast is striking, with Barry embodying the unstoppable energy Gerber sings about. As the founder of the all-women-led DART Car racing team, Barry brings both edge and elegance to the screen.
The lyrics strike a chord with its poetic intensity:
“There’s a limited speed that my love can go
You got me falling to the earth
Faster than the pull of gravity…”
More than just a love song, “Limited Speed” is a deeply honest reflection on what it feels like when two people are out of sync. “Sometimes you’re still figuring things out,” Gerber says. “And the other person is already crossing the finish line.”
The single follows Gerber’s breakout hit “Three-Chord Town,” which topped the Amazon Music charts and showcased his ability to write from a place of raw personal truth. His backstory is just as compelling. Gerber is a former CIA analyst, a Harvard MBA, and a one-time plumber who once played piano at the Kennedy Center. After facing a wave of personal losses in 2020, he turned to music in search of healing. What he found was a new beginning.
Limited Speed offers a glimpse into Gerber’s upcoming concept album Three-Chord Town, expected later this year. The album chronicles the highs and lows of isolation, grief, and renewal, all set to a backdrop of country-rock and soulful ballads.
As for Barry and the DART Racing Team, their story is equally powerful. Their McLaren Artura GT4, designed by TIME100 artist Mickalene Thomas, made headlines at Classic Car Club Manhattan. The team’s mission is about more than racing—it’s about visibility, empowerment, and making space for women in high-performance arenas. DART will finish its 2025 season with an all-female lineup in the 24H Series Middle East Trophy in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
“Music and motorsports share that same pulse,” Gerber says. “There’s risk, passion, and a whole lot of speed. That’s what makes this song feel so alive.”
“Limited Speed” is now available on all major streaming platforms.