Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Dark-Wave, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This self-titled debut album by the French-Irish duo was released last year on Icy Cold Records. The work is inspired by ‘the visually arresting micro explorations of relationships by filmmakers such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Robert Altman and Ingmar Bergman.’

Content: A Ritual Sea is clearly devoted to the good-old Dream-Pop style. It’s reflected in the guitar playing, and also in the production of the vocals. A few songs feature female vocals in duo with the male singing.

+ + + : A Ritual Sea will immediately appeal for fans of The Cocteau Twins and related bands. The band sounds in the tradition of great Dream-Pop, which is mainly created by the beauty of the overwhelming guitar playing. The female vocals are adding a little extra resulting in the outstanding “Violet”. This is a brilliant song, but I also must mention the great last track “Silver Morning” and “Desire Lines” -which also features female vocals.

– – – : A Ritual Sea doesn’t bring anything new, but who cares when you get great music instead.

Conclusion: This album is a true promising debut revealing a band with an immense potential. Dream-Pop is alive!

Best songs: “Violet”, “Silver Morning”, “Desire Lines”, “Seasons (Like You)”.

Rate: 7½.

Listen to “A Ritual Sea”:

Artist: www.facebook.com/ARitualSea

Label: www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords

About A Ritual Sea

A Ritual Sea is the duo of Florian Chombart and Donna McCabe, based in Dublin, Ireland. The pair works in dream pop, shoegaze and synthwave, with Chombart composing and recording the music and both members singing.

Icy Cold Records released the self-titled debut on CD and digital on 24 September 2021, with a vinyl edition following on 20 December 2021. Donna McCabe wrote the lyrics, Nicolas Subrechicot mixed the album and Benjamin Joubert mastered it. The cover image is by Ashley Glynn, with inside sleeve photography by Kieran Sheridan and Loreana Rushe.

The label has continued to work with the duo, issuing the single “Desire Lines” and the EP “Because You Hate to Care About” alongside the album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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