Little Rituals

Alternative folk and throwback psychedelia have long been standard currencies in modern independent music, but that standard is only justified by a few artists who artfully cut through the acoustic noise and lazy affectations with unique, quality songwriting. For every band like Woods and Grizzly Bear, there’s a dozen more whose name and music you’ll never remember. Atlanta’s Little Rituals land somewhere in the middle of this overcrowded wilderness with their self-titled debut – an EP that’s admirably performed, competently executed, but, ultimately, not that interesting.

Fortunately, the record begins on a high note with “Speaking Spanish in Brazil,” a pastoral folk rock jam that evokes the variegated hues of bright, lazy summer days. Here, the band displays a keen ear for lush melodies and hits the right vocal inflections to drive home the modern-day Buffalo Springfield vibes. But evocation alone isn’t enough to sell this old, well-worn style in 2016. Sure, “How It Started” sports a vaguely exciting electric jam rock outro courtesy of guitarist/vocalist Stephen Burns, but it’s just another trip on a familiar ride at the “we-can-folk-too” theme park.

The album’s slower, breezier cuts don’t fare much better. Soft, hazy tones abound, but there’s little to cling to other than a faint glimpse of nostalgia. Burns’ dazed-out vocals suit the mood, but do little else to move the audience in any particular direction when paired with these by-the-numbers psych ballads. Here, the shape-shifting, kaleidoscopic nature of psychedelia is captured mainly in how there’s nothing tangible to hook onto. Even for this genre and style, that’s difficult to reconcile. All of this is to say that mileage may vary, because despite its adequate execution, Little Rituals leave little impact.

More Info
Bandcamp: littlerituals.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @littleritualsband