My first show in Portland Maine! Very excited to be joined by Kacey Johansing. More bands to be announced! xo
https://www.kaceyjohansingmusic.com/
Emily Ritz is an independent musician and visual artist who creates otherworldly soul music. A native New Yorker, Ritz spent nearly a decade in the Bay Area, making art as well as performing and releasing music with bands Yesway (with Kacey Johansing), Honeycomb, and DRMS. Over the years she has shared the stage with artists such as Deradoorian, Toro Y Moi, Laura Veirs and Mirah, and collaborated with members of My Morning Jacket, Thao With The Get Down Stay Down, and Two Gallants.
Though her music and art remain very inspired by the lush landscapes of Northern California, Ritz moved back East to Hudson, NY in 2016. There, she began performing under her own name for the first time and recorded her first solo album.
Pattern Recess is guided by Ritz’s strong, soulful voice and experimental sensibility. She creates complex harmonies and avant garde patterns with her voice, while delivering lyrics that are poignant and at times romantic. Her singing style has elements of classic jazz and R&B, but with an enticingly off-kilter twist due to her subtly unusual melodic choices and occasional use of electronic filters.
This album plays with the relationship between the organic and the inorganic. Ritz’s thoughtful, intimate songwriting and delicate fingerpicking are akin to the contemporary folk of Jessica Pratt and Angel Olsen, yet electronic neo-soul twinges call forth the seductive trip-hop of James Blake. Confident and idiosyncratic, Ritz calls forth other bold female artists such as Jenny Hvaal, Amy Winehouse, Circuit Des Yeux, Solange, and early Grimes.
The production on Pattern Recess is varied and fresh. Underneath Ritz’s powerful vocals, her intricate drenched-in-reverb guitar playing ripples like waves on a pool. Amidst this dreamy fluidity, there are moments of charmingly inventive percussion and unusual instrumentation. Odd time signatures and satisfying syncopation deftly build excitement, while the occasional use of spacey sound effects creates a playfully cosmic tone.
Pattern Recess comes out April 27th, with a solo US tour to follow in May and June. Audiences can expect an intimate and compelling live performance.
The striking music video for one of Pattern Recess’ best tracks, ‘Take It Back’, is a collaboration between Ritz and Spanish photographer Camila Falquez. On ‘Take it Back’, Emily’s guitar is replaced with a thick synth bassline that’s hard not to love. The video was filmed in Cartagena, Colombia and features original choreography by Lobadyz Perez performed by dancers from the Periferia Dance Company.
www.emilyritz.com