In just four songs and a total of 11 minutes, Dead Rituals position themselves amongst some of the biggest names in alternative rock and shoegaze with their self-titled debut EP. With nods to The Cure, Sonic Youth, Cloud Nothings and Swervedriver, Dead Rituals sounds familiar, comfortable and nostalgic without being a copy-cat band, yet they also add their own slice of sound.
‘Run’ lunges the EP into a waterfront of colour, reflecting the song title, as foot-thudding drums hit the pavement, heart-monitoring bass keep pace and playful guitars cheer from the sidelines. ‘Closer’ delivers the cutesy lines “I wanna sink in a tyre swing with you” and “I think I’ve found it / I think I’ve found the way to your heart” in this indie driver that shows an intimate side to the outfit.
‘Melbourne’ increases the punk and the shoegaze pulling together an intense ride formed by full-body jolting beats, dragging bass, graveled rhythm guitars, disheartened rings of top melodies and sorrow-filled singing from Andrea Caccese, only heightened by the emo screams finishing out the song.
Finally, ‘Enough’ plays into the influence from The Cure of the melancholic lead guitar and bass lines found on ‘Disintegration’ and ‘Lovesong’, with an added unmissable call-out to Blink 182’s ‘The Anthem’, finishing the EP on an uplifting note.
4/5
Independent
Reviewed By Tammy Walters