Today NYC-based rock group, THE RITUALISTS, are releasing their debut record, PAINTED PEOPLE via Out of Line Music, showcasing their unflinching combination of post-punk ethos, arena-ready choruses, and psychedelic freak-outs which has been likened to such iconic bands such as Placebo, Suede, Echo & the Bunnymen, among others.
Melodic, hook-laden choruses are also not a rare commodity on Painted People. "With this record, I've specifically tried to be anthemic," admits frontman Christian Dryden. "I've always loved going to shows, where immediately after the performance, and even on the ensuing days after, you just can't help but remember and sing the songs you've just heard. Its almost like a higher form of communication."
Purchase or stream Painted People on your favorite streaming service here!
Check out the group's video for "Ice Flower" which premiered on Post-Punk.com, and features professional wrestlers pushing papers before standing up to fight each other to the death. The video theatrically visualizes the degrading, dehumanizing, and violent tendencies of corporate life, while also putting an emphasis on the ridiculous and rehearsed nature of it all.
"Ice Flower," finds its foundation in a repeated bass groove before bursting into a sea of expansive guitar lines. The chorus rips through the ethereal textures and frantic tones, as Dryden stretches his voice, navigating through the chaos with an impassioned, melodic hook.
A combination of dark, deep pocketed verses juxtaposed with big, flashy choruses is a key element to tracks like, "She's the Sun" and "Rattles." The former embraces the band's inner Sixties Love Child, but tempers the psychedelic introspection with a healthy dosage of dark aggression, while "Rattles" captures attention with Pat Bennett's hypnotic drum line and a methodical keyboard hook introduction.
The title track, "I'm With The Painted People," takes a more personal and even biographical approach. Dryden shares his experiences on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, "Being inspired by larger-than-life characters such as David Bowie, Simon Le Bon,
Bryan Ferry and Marc Bolan was a blessing and a curse. It was magical and transformative to imagine these people as your sort of musical soul mates, but also seemed to engender feelings of loneliness, as there didn't appear to be anyone else who shared this vision where I was... that is, until I started to frequent the venues and clubs of the Lower East Side." It was here that Dryden found some kindred spirits. And it was here that he found the comfort to fully realize and express his creative vision. "Every time we do that song in NYC, I dedicate it to my audience and I truly mean every word of it."
The Ritualists have also announced two new shows at Berlin Under A in NYC on August 24th and O'Briens in Boston on September 26th. Painted People is out TODAY, August 2nd, via Out of Line Music.
Photo credit: Sam Keeler
