Listening to the discography of Deaf Havana you will find that the British alt group have not stayed in the same sonic lane for their releases. In the UK, they achieved commercial success with 2017’s All These Countless Nights. Last year’s success seemed the Norfolk quintet was approaching a new, different direction.
When a level of success is reached, bands want to experiment and progress in their craft—which is fine. Rituals (SO Records), is not. The band’s fifth album feels like a project that was rushed and perhaps not needed.
The 40-second track ‘Wake’ opens the album up with an interesting ambiance brought to you by the London Contemporary Voice Choir. It’s interesting and a great set up for ‘Sinner.’ The second song is lively but the lyrics are cliché. For a band that was more of a post-hardcore act in their earlier years, they have taken the indie pop-rock high horse and have ridden it far.
Coming in at no. 3 is the title-track. ‘Rituals’ is catchy and vibrant and has an anthemic chorus that crowds will like but it’s nothing special. The drumbeat in the beginning of “Hell” amps you up and it’s one of the songs that really feature frontman’s James Veck-Gilodi’s vocal skills. But the track is just so pop-like and the synthesizers are so over the top that makes you want to skip.
Fans that love DJs will appreciate ‘Holy’ for progressive-house elements that hold the song together. The guitars drive the song but it’s just so overproduced. The main themes throughout the album focus on struggle and redemption. ‘Worship’ and ‘Heaven’ are clearly about that. But ‘Worship’ stands out because it’s reminiscent of the more genuine tracks the band has produced before.
The edited vocals and drum claps in ‘Evil’ have you wondering if Logic or Rich the Kid is about to give you a surprise feature. They don’t. It’s just another unnecessary slow song. Down the rabbit hole, the final two songs are the best. They are a combination of strings, synths with a choir-driven ambiance that works. Veck-Gilodi triumphs in closer ‘Epiphany’ as his melody flows in an industrial-like background.
Bottom line, Rituals is not needed. Not in the pop-rock realm. The effort carries a lot of pop elements that are questionable. Deaf Havana doesn’t seem to have grown with this release.
6.0/10
CYNTHIA JO