Los Angeles darkwave artist, Blood Handsome, has just unveiled the video for Love Lost, a new song off the Deluxe Edition of his sophomore album Rituals, which also features his popular cover of Joy Division’s Atmosphere. Rituals was released on the 28th of August 2020.
The solo project of artist Gerren Reach (now signed to Cleopatra Records), Blood Handsome displays an eclectic mix of retro soundscapes, nostalgic synths, and cinematic undertones. Reach’s dark but optimistic songs have helped the band finds its place on the musical spectrum. Blood Handsome pulls from an eclectic list of musical influences: Art of Noise, New Order, John Carpenter. The outfit’s unique sound was once described as “obscure electronica meeting post-punk.” Blood Handsome has gained a cult following over the last few years, playing live and touring as often as possible.
The debut album, IS DOWN, painted the picture of a futuristic yet familiar soundscape with strongly crafted melodies and rhythms. The album has drawn comparisons to the likes of such heavyweights as Joy Division, NIN, Massive Attack, Cold Cave, and more. On the sophomore album, RITUALS, we find that Blood Handsome has seemed to mature into his sound, and the blending of genres seems to be even more natural than before. Pulling from his post-punk roots and mixing his moody instrumentation, along with brooding vocals, Blood Handsome continues to evolve and mold his unique sound.
As for the future; Blood Handsome is planning a series of live stream events that are in the works for the remainder of the year.
He describes Love Lost’s origins: his friend Chris Ford, a producer and engineer in Pittsburgh, started bouncing ideas with him with the intention of collaboration.
“We knew Love Lost was the perfect representation of what we were feeling as artists,” he says. “The track touched back on post-punk roots, and was very refreshing to write and record.” Blood Handsome is looking forward to continuing down this path. “I think it’s given Blood Handsome something to branch out and evolve our sound moving forward, says Reach.
Watch the video for “Love Lost” below:
Blood Handsome’s Rituals is out now.
