''Rituals'' is the second studio album by British

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

band

Fenech-Soler Fenech-Soler were an English electropop band from King's Cliffe, Northamptonshire, England, that formed in 2006 and consists of two members: Ross Duffy and Ben Duffy. Founding members Daniel Fenech-Soler and Andrew Lindsay left the band in 2016 ...

. It was released on 25 September 2013 by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

and

B-Unique Records B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, and publishing company founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher. B-Unique's current roster includes John Newman, Kodaline, James Bay, The Mispers, Darlia, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Luk ...

, it is the

major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

debut of Fenech-Soler, whose previous record was released under the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based B-Unique Records. The album is a follow-up to the band's 2012–13 singles "All I Know", "Magnetic" and "Last Forever", all of which feature on the album. A special edition of the album with a new track listing was released a year later on 25 August 2014 and replaced the band's first full-length US release, (which subsequently was deleted from online services). It features four tracks from their previous self-titled debut studio album.

Packaging

The artwork for ''Rituals'' features a photograph taken by South African professional photographer Andrew McGibbon. The photograph, entitled ''Stars Bow'', features a horse named Star, lit in Strobe lighting, taking a "bow" in front of the camera. The photograph is part of a series of photographs taken by McGibbon as a collection entitled ''All the Wild Horses'', which was originally released online in April 2012. The artist statement for the work states:

"For thousands of years the horse has been mankind's closest ally. The horse made travel and development possible. We tethered, weighted and reigned them. We captured, stabled and trained them. Ever willing, the horse was the magnificent tool of man’s ingenuity. The horse is a beast of legend, taking on its own character, personality, emotion and mythology. However, with the advent of the steam engine the horse was made obsolete, and now they are resigned to the realm of shows and races, a world of equestrian sport, a mere shadow of the beast’s former glory. ''All the Wild Horses'' is a tribute to the beast that has made much of what we call life possible. The images are unique and have a style to them reminiscent of the portraiture of the rich and famous. The artist has attempted, and succeeded, to show a sense of personality and emotion – sadness in some cases and pride in others. Painstakingly lit, this body of work is about the horse itself to which we all feel a connection, whether it's obvious or deep down in our collective subconscious. There is a sense of awe that this beast inspires in each and everyone of us".

''"All the wild horses, tethered with tears in their eyes. May no man's touch ever tame you, may no man's reigns ever chain you. And may no man's weight ever lay freight your soul" – Ray Lamontagne''.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from ''Rituals'' liner notes. ;Fenech-Soler *Ben Duffy –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

*Ross Duffy –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Daniel Soler – bass,

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

*Andrew Lindsay –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

;Additional musicians * Dominic Greensmith – percussion * Linus Eklöw – additional instruments *Svidden – additional instruments ;Technical production *Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing *Duncan Fuller – assistant mixing *Wez Clarke – mixing *Neil Comber – mixing *John Davis – mastering *Stuart Hawkes – mastering *Bruno Ellingham – engineer ;Artwork * Non-Format – art direction, design *Andrew McGibbon – album artwork, ''Stars Bow'' *Jenna Foxton – photography

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Fenech-Soler albums Warner Records albums