Dead Rituals - II — AliveandGigging

Dead Rituals is an alternative rock band based in Naples, Italy. The project was created by Andrea Caccese, also known for his work with bands like I Used to Be a Sparrow, Feed Me To The Waves, and Lillet Blanc.

Caccese spent many years living and traveling throughout the world, creating music and collecting experiences and stories. This new project stems from sessions recorded in New York City, Melbourne, and Naples, amidst significant life changes.

Simply titled II, the second Dead Rituals EP takes on a different approach when compared to the band’s 2019 debut.

Singer and songwriter Andrea Caccese recorded the first work on laptops and in random rooms, while traveling throughout the world. These new songs came out of a studio environment, filled with analog instruments and effects, making for a more intuitive, collaborative, and immediate approach.

II was released on Friday 23 October and opens with Broken Memories a real large slice of brilliant indie pop, the track is memorable for both its anthemic drums and highly atmospheric guitars which drive the song but also the ending where the drums slow down to the occasional beat and its joined by a single pluck of the guitar as the track fades out in a dreamy soundscape.

Slow Down is another indie based soundscape, it is given a strong foundation with a catchy drum beat as it unfolds through odd time signatures and experimental sounds, whilst overall maintaining that ear worm of a melody.

The final track When The Lights Are Out is another fantastic indie song with a grittier feel at its core and is driven by what is almost an acoustic guitar which is then overlayed with different guitar effects to give the song a catchy melody which stays in your memory.

II is a very enjoyable EP as Andrea demonstrates great progression from previous releases and shows an increased confidence in track construction as he has brought the ideas of the larger studio environment to life with three fantastic tracks.

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