THE RITUAL is full of some of the juiciest synth basses and leads to grace the genre since the start of the year. This short conceptual collection of tunes from _SHOE promises some wild good times for connoisseurs of vintage 80s synth sounds and dark, driving grooves.
An Italian rock outfit hailing from Castelcucco, _SHOE is bringing forth a sound that drips with character and nostalgia for the colorful 80s. With all of its meaty synth tones that call to mind countless tropes from the budding stages of synth music and electronica from the decade, _SHOE is fully utilizing the nostalgia card in their compositions.
THE RITUAL has been mostly recorded in _SHOE’s home studio, full of what they call soft synths, the album’s instrumental landscape is almost entirely electronic, recorded by mentioned soft synths which work with _SHOE’s requirements for recording on the go during their travels. THE RITUAL is an album of rich storytelling that unfolds with each neatly packed tune. An album to go along with the narrative of the Devisal Story’s first season, now available on YouTube, _SHOE is excelling in creating an audiovisual journey for his audience.
For the music on THE RITUAL, the 9 pieces on the album rapidly unfold, showing their nuanced layering jobs, rich mixes, driving grooves and synth riffs, alongside lively, beating rhythmic cores. ‘TRANSCENDANCE’ and ‘ENTITY _CONTACT’, the album’s first two pieces, showcase _SHOE’s delightfully curt and impatient song building, opting to rapidly introduce the layers and the rhythm early on and to reduce the song lengths in the trade. ‘SKIN MARKS’ is another jewel on the short album. With its buzzing sub bass and gargantuan beat, this anthemic stomper is the album’s most powerful and charismatic piece.
THE RITUAL is a lush showcase of its curator’s musical sensibilities and deep affinity to synths and 80s electronica. An audiovisual delight, _SHOE’s gifts are on full display here.
