Editor’s Note: Madness To Creation is thrilled to be offering the exclusive EP stream of Dead Rituals’ debut EP. Andrea Caccese of Dead Rituals also recorded a vlog for Madness To Creation about mental health awareness! Show the band some love by checking out the stream via Soundcloud and follow them on Facebook and Instagram!
About DEAD RITUALS: Dead Rituals is an alternative rock band founded by Andrea Caccese. Over the past 15 years, he has been traveling and writing music with various bands and collaborators. This new project stems from sessions recorded in New York City, Melbourne, and Naples, amidst significant life changes. The bustle of downtown Manhattan. A remote beach town on the Pacific coast. Historic alleys and hidden pathways in the heart of the Italian South. Each place affected the songs, and each track explores different ideas, held together by the personal lyrics. The four songs on Dead Rituals’ debut EP capture the immediacy of punk and alternative music. They also incorporate the textures of new-wave, noise, and shoegaze. “Run” combines punk-pop with throwback influences, like Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. Lead single “Closer” is a jangly indie tune, with anthemic hooks and intimate vocals. “Melbourne” channels the grit of punk rock, with gloomy new-wave atmospheres, setting a darker mood. Closing track “Enough” juxtaposes experimental sounds with melodic vocal lines and uplifting hooks.
Run
This song is about looking back on the hopes, dreams, and expectation of what it is like to grow up and want certain things out of your life. Did we get there? If not, can we still get there?
Musically, I wanted it to be catchy and dreamy, and I really love the background textures on this one! My wife Brita sang some amazing background vocals, which really make the song for me.
Closer
This song was easy to write, and it just happened. It’s a feel-good indie rock song with some dreamy textures. Think Mazzy Star, two times faster! The song is about celebrating the good sides of being with someone, but also acknowledging that any meaningful relationship has its ups and downs.
Melbourne
This one might be the darkest song on the EP. Sonically, the verses remind me of Joy Division or The Cure, while the choruses are more punk rock and in-your-face. The track also features my friend (and excellent dream-pop artist) Francis Moon, who sang along with me and played some additional guitars. The song is about deceptiveness, and how some things might appear perfect on the surface, but there is actually a dark side looming underneath.
Enough
I was obsessed with 60’s surf music when this song was coming together – Think Dick Dale, Johnny & Santo and early Link Wray. My idea was to try and combine that approach with a post-punk sound and see where it’d take me from there on. The song lyrics feature references to many specific events in my life, but at the end of the day, it is about not fitting in and struggling to find your place in the world. It might seem dark, but I think there’s some hope in this song because it’s also about the courage to pick up the pieces and move on with your life after a tough situation!
Fans can find DEAD RITUALS at the following locations:
