Twin Ritual release ‘Suffocate’, their first new single since 2023
San Diego synthpop trio Twin Ritual released the single “Suffocate” on 28 August 2026, mixed and mastered by Dave Trumfio, their first new song since 2023.
San Diego synthpop trio Twin Ritual released the single “Suffocate” on 28 August 2026. It is the band’s first new recording since “Allie” in May 2023 and is out on Bandcamp.
Hannah Mahute wrote the lyrics and sings. Anthony Ramirez, who also plays in Glass Spells, handles synthesizers, bass and drum machine, and Antonio Estrada plays guitars. The band wrote the song together. Vocals and guitars were recorded at Chateau Trumfio, and Dave Trumfio mixed and mastered the track.
How ‘Suffocate’ sounds
The arrangement runs on a steady drum-machine pulse and wide synthesizer lines, with Estrada’s guitar set in open, measured phrases that alternate between texture and lead melody. Mahute sings in the centre of that space, moving between a soft delivery and a sharper one. The song deals with staying beside someone who is withdrawing into their own pain, and with the limits of what patience can do about it.
Dave Trumfio’s involvement links the single to a long run of American independent rock records. He founded Kingsize Soundlabs in Chicago’s Wicker Park in the 1990s and moved the studio to Los Angeles in 2000, and has produced or engineered for Wilco, Built to Spill, My Morning Jacket and OK Go. Here he handled the mix and the master.
About Twin Ritual
Twin Ritual are a three-piece from San Diego, California, built around Hannah Mahute’s vocals, Anthony Ramirez’s synthesizers and rhythm programming, and Antonio Estrada’s guitar. Their music mixes synthpop with atmospheric guitar and a slow-burning, cinematic pace.
The band’s first release, the single “Angry”, appeared on 12 October 2017. The “Hand Through The Mist EP” followed on 9 February 2018. “Norma Jean” arrived as a single on 29 October 2019, and “Allie” on 5 May 2023.
Ramirez is also a member of Glass Spells, the San Diego synthpop project Side-Line has covered separately. Twin Ritual’s own releases have all been issued independently rather than through a label.
“Suffocate” ends a three-year gap in the band’s discography. No album or EP has been announced to follow it.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
