Track By Track: Ritual Cloak – Vanished in Transition

Ritual Cloak is Daniel Barnett, formerly of Samoans, and drummer/producer Andrew Sanders. The Cardiff-based duo describe their Vanished in Transition EP as being more introspective and meditative than previous releases. Its soundscapes and subtle tones are ones which fans of Mogwai, Sigur Rós, and Kiasmos will love.

Gweledigaeth

Gweledigaeth was the last song to be written and completed for the EP. The song just came to Dan and was written and recorded in one take, with the name aptly meaning ‘vision’ in Welsh. Vangelis’s music is something that has definitely seeped into our musical identity and steered us towards embracing otherworldly synth-scapes like this song. It felt right for Gweledigaeth to start the record and set the scene.

Left Behind

Left Behind wouldn’t exist without the influence of George Harrison and the Brianjonestown Massacre. The song revolves around a sitar-like guitar line that we knew we wanted to have constantly looping to create a meditative drone. The lyrics are a collage of different lines and ideas that when brought together create a story of a long-forgotten ‘saviour’ that’s coming back but nobody needs them anymore.

Vanished in Transition

When we started writing Vanished in Transition, we didn’t expect it to end up where it did. We weren’t totally prepared for how Rob Smith of Wonderbrass and Harri Rees of Wylderness would transform the direction and feel of the song towards a Pharoah Sanders style jazz odyssey. It really is the centrepiece of the EP. The song is about the romanticism of disappearing and what the reality is for those left behind.

Ornamental

Originally intended to be on Divine Invasions, work on Ornamental began back in early 2019. Dan doesn’t consider himself an accomplished pianist but was pushing himself to write more stretching pieces on piano. Despite the song being somewhat finished, it didn’t make the cut for the final tracklist of the album as we felt it was missing something.

We gave the track some space whilst we worked on other material, until Dan read The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. There was a chapter that contained the poem, There Will Come Soft Rains by American poet Sara Teasdale from 1918. The words described perfectly to us a world, absent of people, where relics of a vanished civilisation remain like ornaments. It felt like fate.

Half of My Life

Half of My Life is a reflection on the melancholia of getting older. It started off as a gentle solo piano piece, but we could hear the potential to lift the song emotionally. Using crunching footsteps to create rhythm and playing guitars with violin bows really brings the song to life. Karl Griffiths of Morning Arcade’s guitar created an air of positivity to the song. We had some big storms last year that Dan recorded and when we put them to the music, it was like it was meant to be there.

Vanished In Transition is out now via Bubblewrap Collective and comes in a limited-edition clear vinyl version, which you can pick up on Bandcamp. For news on the EP, take a wander over to the bands Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram accounts.