Following on from their second album (Divine Invasions), collaborations with Welsh poet Autumn Juvenile and Polish Artist Michal Iwanowski, plus an R.E.M cover, electronic post-rock duo Ritual Cloak are back with a brand new single. Shell is about being in a dream where you’re constantly searching for someone but never quite finding them. It’s an idea that’s been floating around for a few years and gone through a number of different versions before becoming what it is now. Originally Shell was written for acoustic guitar and had a completely different feel. Dan remembers re-listening to Metals by Feist and being inspired by the dramatic intimacy of the album, leading to Shell being rewritten for piano.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello Ritual Cloak. What made you want to become a musician?
Sanders: At quite a young age I decided I wanted to be a musician. My grandparents would take me to shows and I would be mesmerized by the drums. Being a kid in the 90s I was big in Sega Megadrive. I used to make tapes of all the game music on my stereo. That was probably my way into production without really knowing that was what I was doing.
Dan: I’ve always wanted to be a musician. I was obsessed with music from a young age, listening to my dad’s record collection that had everything from The Beatles to Gary Numan and Kate Bush. My focus has never really deviated from wanting to do anything else really.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
Sanders: There are interests outside of music?
Dan: I love photography (I’ve used a lot of my own photography with Ritual Cloak).
Your latest song is 'Shell'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
Sanders: This was the first time we really experimented with vocal manipulation. Influenced by acts such as Bon Iver, we played around with vocodas and purposeful heavy Autotune.
Dan: I’d had the basic idea for the song for a number of years but I couldn’t quite get the composition and delivery of the vocals right so it just sat there in a folder on my computer. I intended to use it in my previous band, Samoans, so I reworked it to be a piano-led piece rather than guitar and focused on stripping down any unnecessary parts. Although, it didn’t quite fit Samoans’ sound so, again, it went on the shelf until I realised that it would work perfectly for Ritual Cloak. I was a bit nervous bringing it to Sanders as it’s not what we would consider to be a typical Ritual Cloak song.
When you are working through problems in your work, who do you talk to?
Sanders: Eachother. We don't really have any issues when working on Ritual Cloak. We're both comfortable enough to tell the other if we don't like an idea, and neither of us get precious about things. That rarely happens though.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
Sanders: I produce for others regularly and when I'm not working on other people's music I teach music production in a college.
Dan: I’ve always had and continue to work day jobs. Being able to sustain yourself as a full-time musician is difficult. I’ve always seen the day jobs as the thing that helps me survive, anything I get from being a musician goes back into making more music.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
Sanders: Creating something exciting with other people. Seeing how much musicians get ripped off.
Dan: I’d say the exact same as Sanders.
What are you focussing on right now?
Sanders: Preparing for live shows. Digging into new territory and ways of working that will allow us to take Ritual Cloak out live.
Dan: It's exciting to even utter the word ‘live’ right now. We last played in November 2019 so this is a big focus for us. We always push ourselves to try something new.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
Dan: Getting paid fairly for streams and live shows. It’s great that so many people can now access your music, but your music feels devalued. I hope something in the industry changes.
What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
Sanders: More live shows and hopefully another record. I've had an idea for years, a concept record that I'd really like us to work on.
Dan: Yeah more live shows and more records. We’re constantly writing and recording. I’ve never been in the position where there’s a wealth of material that just keeps coming. I’m lucky to have someone like Sanders who basically is a mind-reader.