New Music: Ritual Forms – Down

Trip-hop may never regain the kind of stature and influence it had in the 1990s, but Down from British outfit Ritual Forms shows the genre still has room for invention and renewal.

Down is the second track from the band’s upcoming debut album Nighttime Economy to get an airing. It finds a surprisingly cohesive and engaging spot between post-punk, dreampop, and trip-hop.

The guitars resonate sombrely as the bass line shudders the listener’s soul, and vocalist Anna finds a place where the blues and rock meet with an easy grace. On this showing you’ll be playing Nighttime Economy alongside Dummy, Blue Lines, and Born to Die. And it’ll easily hold its own against those iconic albums.

Down and previous Ritual Forms single Dreaming are available to download on Bandcamp and stream on Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify. For news on the group and the Nighttime Economy album, head over to the trio’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds.