Rituals of Mine – 7th Level Music

Top 35 albums of 2020: #’s 35 – 31

Why thirty-five albums in this list? I reviewed almost eighty albums released last year (and many others released at least a year ago). I always recap the top half of the list, so thirty-five was about right. Everyone agrees that 2020 was a crappy year, but we had a lot of good music. A lot of bands and artists had nothing else to do but create amazing music to keep them and us sane.

#35: Rituals of Mine – Hype Nostalgia

This is a sharp album about being an outsider, love and lust, and knowing when to draw a line in the sand. It mixes electronica and synthwave well and constantly intrigues you.

#34: Sofia Kourtesis – Sarita Colonia

This EP is one of the best electro / dance records I heard all year. It wasn’t on my radar until I stumbled onto it via Bandcamp. It was a breath of fresh air as lovely as it sky on its cover this year.

#33: Melkbelly – PITH

These Chicago punks / post-punks / rockers / do they really need a label? came out swinging with their new album. It’s one of those records that make you think, “Damn, they’re not screwing around.”

#32: Oh Sees – Protean Threat

Am I the only one who thinks that if you cut up the album cover for Protean Threat into four squares and rearranged them in the right pattern that it would reveal a secret image? The album is one of many releases from Oh Sees / Osees this year, who might’ve been the most prolific band of 2020. It’s a wild, fun time, of course, full of blazing rockers and krautrock jams.

#31: New Bomb Turks – Nightmare Scenario (Diamond Edition)

This is easily my favorite re-release of the year. Ohio punk legends New Bomb Turks released a raw version of their classic mid-1990s album Nightmare Scenario for the album’s twenty-fifth anniversary. It shreds and was a much needed adrenaline boost in a year when we didn’t have much to be excited about in terms of entertainment and did have a lot of anger to expel.

Who cracks the top 30? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Rituals of Mine – Hype Nostalgia

Terra Lopez, AKA Rituals of Mine, is, if nothing else, a trooper. Her newest album, Hype Nostalgia, began (at least emotionally and conceptually) a couple years ago when she was processing the highs and lows of a three-year period of depression resulting from her father committing suicide as she was starting a world tour and a friend dying in the same week Lopez signed to a major label. Highs and lows. She began therapy in 2018, just in time for her bandmate to leave ROM, but she pressed on with the record, using it as not only her own audio medication, but also in hopes of helping others dealing with similar highs and lows.

Opening track “Tether” opens with the haunting lyrics, “You used to love, you used to laugh at my mistakes.” as Lopez loops choppy beats, bullfrog bass, and just the right amount of echo on her vocals to bounce her lyrics around in your head and cause you to think, “Yeah, I’ve been there.”

“Come Around Me” was the first single from the album, and it’s an out-and-proud track about being an openly gay woman of color in a male-dominated industry. She doesn’t want “none of this fake shit” and tells guys in the music biz that all she needs from them is to get “back to the basics” of just being a compassionate / cool human being. “Exceptions” has Lopez singing about her former bandmate’s departure. “You’re not the only one who has these thoughts,” she sings over sultry slow jam beats and synths.

“Heights” has Lopez putting down vocals that are almost raps, and those trip hop beats behind her are top-notch. Speaking of trip hop, “Trauma” is so deep, trippy, and smoky that Tricky is probably kicking himself for not writing it. The follow-up, “Free Throw,” has Lopez telling us “I stay in my lane,” meaning she’s no longer interested in being involved in other peoples’ circuses. “Reflex” is downright sexy as Lopez sings, “All I want is you.” to a special lady somewhere.

“My family history is only a mystery,” Lopez sings on “65th St” – a song that appears to reference her parents and her deceased friend. “All I ever wondered is if you are the source of my emptiness,” she sings on the deeply introspective (but no less beat-heavy) track. I’m not sure if she’s singing to a family member, a former lover, a friend, or herself in a mirror. It works anyway you slice it. Lopez laments her lover being miles away and “fucking with my mind” as she wonders, “Who you thinking of?” on “Omen.” Her electronic beats and bedroom bass are so good by this point in the record that the feel effortless.

“222” is spacey bliss that floats into “Hope U Feel” with Lopez singing, “I’m exhausted…” and “What am I supposed to do without love?” Yet, the song has an uplifting undertone that leaves you feeling like she (and all of us) can move forward if we allow ourselves to do it. The album ends with the short and lovely “The Last Wave.” Lopez puts down simple piano chords as she sings, “I tell myself I’ll find a way out of this.” and how she tried to break through her father’s depression but was unsuccessful. “I can never breach the divide, but I tried, and I still think of you sometimes.”

That’s all most of us can do at times, but that’s okay. Lopez has learned to move forward, as all life must, can, and will do. She encourages us to do the same.

Keep your mind open.

[I’d be hyped if you subscribed.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rituals of Mine releases “Exceptions” from upcoming album due September 25th.

Rituals of Mine – the immersive, hybrid R&B electronic project of Los Angeles-based songwriter Terra Lopez – shares the new single/video, “Exceptions,” from her forthcoming album, HYPE NOSTALGIA, out September 25th on Carpark Records. It follows previous singles “Free Throw (feat. KRIS)” and “Come Around Me.” For the bedroom pop-tinged “Exceptions,” Lopez wrote with a TC Helicon vocal effects pedal to reflect the track’s vulnerable lyrics and make her voice more of an instrument. It deals with the heavy realization that some people aren’t meant to be in each other’s lives forever. The accompanying video, directed by Leo Pfeifer, is based on Lopez’s childhood.

“During this time I had a big falling out with some key people in my life (including my longtime bandmate), friends that had been family for over a decade. I honestly thought I’d grow old with these people by my side and it was a heavy realization coming to terms that we just didn’t belong in each other’s lives anymore,” says Lopez. “It’s a song that acknowledges that in these situations, it’s a two-way street. There’s no need to shift blame on anyone, that won’t undo what happened. The chorus, ‘Take all of my pride, throw it out’ is me admitting that I was also part of the reason for the connection ending.”

In addition to her WNBA History Club podcast, Lopez announces HYPE NOSTALGIA TV, a podcast that reflects on nostalgia and how it directly impacts artist’s work. The first episode features Tegan Quin (from Tegan & Sara) and future guests include Chino Moreno (from Deftones), Nico Turner (from Cat Power) and KRIS.

Watch “Exceptions” Video:
https://found.ee/GlXc

HYPE NOSTALGIA follows 2019’s SLEEPER HOLD EP, which was filled with emotional intensity and self-reflective songwriting, confronting the emotional rollercoaster that came with the death of her father and later, her best friend.

On HYPE NOSTALGIA, Lopez didn’t want to solely focus on the heaviness of her life. Instead, she opted to create an album written from a pre-loss perspective. There are dark moments and devastation throughout, but what largely transpires is Lopez’s ability to reconcile with her emotional trauma by reimagining her past in a way that isn’t shrouded in total darkness, but glimmers of light and hope.

Between St. Augustine, Florida and Los Angeles, Lopez collaborated with producers Wes Jones and Dev the Goon on HYPE NOSTALGIA. The result is a self-assured 13-track album interspersed with future R&B, electronic and pop, and layered with the softness of Lopez’s ethereal vocals. From tackling what it’s like to be a woman of color in the music industry to exploring intergenerational trauma, HYPE NOSTALGIA is an all-encompassing look at Lopez’s personal growth and resilience.

With HYPE NOSTALGIA, Lopez offers a glimpse into her own experience in the hopes that it will open the door for listeners to confront their own mental health challenges and serve as a touchstone as they find their own way to process and heal.
Watch “Exceptions” Video:
https://found.ee/GlXc

Watch “Free Throw” Video:
https://found.ee/Z4h5

Watch “Come Around Me” Video:
https://found.ee/Z6XU

Pre-order HYPE NOSTALGIA:
https://found.ee/uEkw

Keep your mind open.

[I’d be hyped if you subscribed.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rituals of Mine scores on her new single – “Free Throw.”

Rituals of Mine – the immersive, hybrid R&B electronic project of Los Angeles-based songwriter Terra Lopez – will release her new album, HYPE NOSTALGIA, on September 25th via Carpark Records. Today, she shares the new single/video “Free Throw (feat. KRIS),” which follows lead single “Come Around Me.” Through the dark pop and noisey beat of “Free Throw,” Lopez urges equality for BIPOC artists in the music industry. Lopez and KRIS (King Woman, Miserable, NGHTCRWLR) recorded the song in the studio last summer with Wes Jones. The accompanying video, animated by AvaantGarbDesign, is futuristic and matches the track’s noir tone.

“Kris and I talk a lot about our experiences being women of color in the music industry and how time and time again, we’ve been fucked over by either white women musicians or white guys and that shit takes a toll on you,” elaborates Lopez. “It takes a toll on your mental health, your confidence, your perseverance. It also limits your access to opportunities within the industry in a very real way. We wanted to address how we were feeling and have been feeling for years in ‘Free Throw’ by airing it all out, putting it all out there because at this point this needs to be addressed. These disparities within the industry have to be examined and ultimately broken down. Kris and I want to help change the industry and music is just going to be one of the ways in which we shed light on issues. We have a lot of things in the works to help even the playing field when it comes to BIPOC artists. ‘Free Throw’ is just the introduction to that.“

Watch “Free Throw” Video:
https://found.ee/Z4h5

HYPE NOSTALGIA follows 2019’s SLEEPER HOLD EP, which was filled with emotional intensity and self-reflective songwriting, confronting the emotional rollercoaster that came with the death of her father and later, her best friend.

On HYPE NOSTALGIA, Lopez didn’t want to solely focus on the heaviness of her life. Instead, she opted to create an album written from a pre-loss perspective. There are dark moments and devastation throughout, but what largely transpires is Lopez’s ability to reconcile with her emotional trauma by reimagining her past in a way that isn’t shrouded in total darkness, but glimmers of light and hope.

Between St. Augustine, Florida and Los Angeles, Lopez collaborated with producers Wes Jones and Dev the Goon on HYPE NOSTALGIA. The result is a self-assured 13-track album interspersed with future R&B, electronic and pop, and layered with the softness of Lopez’s ethereal vocals. From tackling what it’s like to be a woman of color in the music industry to exploring intergenerational trauma, HYPE NOSTALGIA is an all-encompassing look at Lopez’s personal growth and resilience.

With HYPE NOSTALGIA, Lopez offers a glimpse into her own experience in the hopes that it will open the door for listeners to confront their own mental health challenges and serve as a touchstone as they find their own way to process and heal.

Watch “Come Around Me” Video:
https://found.ee/Z6XU

Pre-order HYPE NOSTALGIA:
https://found.ee/uEkw

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rituals of Mine gets heavy with new single – “Heavyweight.”

Rituals of Mine, the electronic recording project of Los Angeles-based songwriter Terra Lopez and percussionist Adam Pierce, shares a new single, “Heavyweight,” from their forthcoming EP, SLEEPER HOLD, out October 4th on Carpark Records. It follows the lead single / video, “BURST.” “Heavyweight” is inspired by the after effects of grief and trauma in relation to the body and mind, particularly Lopez’s own surrounding her father’s suicide and the unexpected loss of her best friend. To accompany the single they share visuals by Hightechlowlife.

“Once the shock shifted away, my body started to feel the real, tangible effects of grief. For over 2 years, I felt a heavy ring around my temple. I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t concentrate. I had lost my ability to articulate properly,” says Lopez. “I was existing and actually was a very high functioning depressed person but my body and voice felt alien and lost to me. In 2018, I read a book that changed my life called The Body Keeps the Score. It is a detailed, scientific look at how trauma transforms, alters and ultimately changes not only your chemical makeup but your physical makeup. I thought I was going crazy for nearly 3 years and then here comes this book that validates every feeling, every emotion, every physical ailment I had felt but couldn’t prove. This song is the expression of grief work I had to do over the last 3 years in order to get to a place where I could see beyond the loss, beyond the depression and finally look at a life that will never be the same but that can be better if I let it.”

SLEEPER HOLD follows their minimalist debut, Devoted, and is as tense and captivating as its name suggests. Lopez began writing the songs that would eventually inhabit the EP during one of the most harrowing and self reflective times in her life. She flew from California to Florida to work with her longtime collaborator and producer Wes Jones, and began developing a brooding sound that would match the emotional intensity of her writing. Having the intimate space of a studio, occupied by only her and a producer, meant that Lopez could write from the heart in a way that didn’t feel possible when there were more people in the room. Over the course of a few months the two would craft some of the project’s most cavernous and vulnerable songs to date. “This new material is very direct and focused on what I want to express with things I’ve held in for so long.” says Lopez. “It’s finally me addressing all of that trauma because I finally had the space to do so.”

Rituals of Mine will tour across North America this fall. All dates are on sale and can be found below.

Watch “HEAVYWEIGHT” lyric video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nq0Yf7iHsk

Watch the video for “BURST” – https://youtu.be/XpKZ1FtFmzk

Pre-order SLEEPER HOLD EP – http://smarturl.it/rom_sleeperhold

Rituals of Mine tour dates: Mon. Sept. 30 – Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theatre Pub – Tickets Sat. Oct. 5 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s – Tickets Sat. Oct. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Hi Hat – Tickets Sun. Oct. 13 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish – Tickets Fri. Nov. 15 – Seattle, WA @ Freakout Festival – Tickets

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]