Hailing from Califoria, Dev Ray is the brainchild of Devin Ratliff, who spent time in indie bands like So Many Wizards and Tomemitsu. He takes a lo-fi, bedroom approach to songwriting with this newest project, and we have the premiere today of the video for the beautiful song “Palaces.”
The themes of the video are a bit strange at first glance (though fit the song perfectly), with Dev Ray dressed as a king and a royal court dressed in baroque attire. They tend to their leader, bringing him a dish of Jello and fruit, along with a cloudy beverage that looks an awful lot like absinthe. Then, for some reason a wide variety of dog breeds appear in the video (credited as Atari, Coach, Kyra, Kenzo, Kleo and Teddy). All the while, the royally-dressed humans spin and turn, slowly dancing to the music with glazed looks in their eyes.
It’s all fairly bizarre but it does fit well with the slow, hypnotic vibe of the song. Around two minutes into the song, it builds to a melodic, uplifting chorus that carries the ornate sound aesthetics of the verse.
Dev Ray is currently signed to Dangerbird Records, through which he has released two singles, both in 2018. The first was “Can’t Hide,” followed by the release of “Palaces.” For a full set of the band’s dreamy lo-fi sound, be sure to check them out at The Echo this week when they take part in the Dangerbird Records residency. Bands from the label will be playing every Monday throughout October and today, it’s Dev Ray’s turn.
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