The rise to fame
It was never clean
When it stole your mystery
The alligator you thought you’d never be
English songwriter-guitarist Duncan Lloyd steps into the limelight with his latest offering, Rituals, an intricate pop gem born from a year fraught with challenges. Serving as the evocative second glimpse into his forthcoming 12-track record, Unwound (Reveal Records), Lloyd effortlessly blends modern indie sensibilities with deeply personal reflections, anchoring listeners in themes of routine, recovery, and quiet resilience.
Best known as the musical backbone of celebrated art-rock ensemble Maximo Park, Lloyd also showcases his versatility as part of indie collective Nano Kino, co-writing alongside Sarah Suri. Rituals, however, distinctly echoes with his individual voice, striking chords reminiscent of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, the languid brilliance of Beta Band, the buoyancy of Lightning Seeds, and Belle and Sebastian’s wistful charm.
Lloyd’s tender vocals float gracefully atop shimmering guitar arrangements, creating a luminous pop reverie that gently revolves in rhythmic circles, almost hypnotically mirroring the track’s lyrical exploration. Addressing the tangled intersection of fame and authenticity, Rituals grapples with the subtle erosion of personal identity that accompanies public acclaim. Yet beneath its contemplative veneer lies a resilient embrace of inner clarity and human authenticity amid life’s noisy tumult.
“The song is about habits, good and bad. It’s also a song about trying to help someone recover,” says Lloyd. “Musically I was thinking of it being like a circle where the rhythm changes but the chords keep rotating, I wanted it to sound like it was coming through several broken radios, with only one being crystal clear…I wrote it during a difficult year, and as with a few of the songs on the record it’s fundamentally a personal message to a loved one. I got a little obsessed with the sound of the production as I wanted it to be different from anything I’d done before, so it has this modern sense to it.”
Complementing the music, the accompanying video radiates tranquility and nostalgia, elegantly blending Super-8 film sequences that capture serene natural vistas alongside Lloyd’s introspective, sincere performance. The visuals deepen the song’s contemplative atmosphere, harmonizing imagery and melody into a cohesive, poetic reflection on life’s delicate rituals, both comforting and confining.
Watch the video for “Rituals” below:
Unwound marks Duncan Lloyd’s debut studio album release with Reveal Records, following previous records with Warp Records and independent ventures. Adorned with artwork derived from Lloyd’s own paintings, this album unfurls a captivating musical landscape, balancing richly expressive intimacy with moments of stark urgency and delicate melody.
The recording process saw collaboration with Julie McLarnon (The Vaselines, Lankum, King Creosote, Jeffrey Lewis, Brigid Mae Power) at the renowned Analogue Catalogue Studios in Ireland, complemented by Lloyd’s own meticulous work at his studio in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Unwound further benefits from the talents of Maximo Park members, keyboardist Jemma Freese and drummer Tom English.
Listen to Rituals below and order the single here.
Rituals arrives hot on the heels of his latest invigorating single, Laugh So Loud, featuring a guest appearance from Joe Boyer (Cloud Nothings, Autopolitan). Accompanied by an adrenaline-fueled music video, the track delves into themes of self-doubt and the tendency to brush things off as fine.
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