Los Angeles duo Mating Ritual consists of brothers Ryan Marshall Lawhon and Taylor Lawhon. The indie-pop outfit are fresh off a new release Bungalow, their fourth album to date. The brothers Lawhon had been through a couple of different names already before settling on Mating Ritual. In 2012, they first released music as KO KO, releasing three songs on Bandcamp before signing to Republic Records. When they began working on their EP Long Live KOKO, they had already changed their name to Pacific Air to distinguish themselves from other bands out there with the same name. They proceeded to tour and open for some of the most popular indie acts at the time, including Passion Pit, Walk the Moon, Two Door Cinema Club, Ra Ra Riot, and Atlas Genius.
When late 2014 hit, Pacific Air was no more and the duo adopted the name Mating Ritual, which has stuck with them four new albums later. Their fourth album The Bungalow was released on August 21, 2020 via Smooth Jaws. The album is smooth, danceable and filled with infectious beats. They released their title track “The Bungalow” was released in late May with a video to accompany the single.
Check out their funky, dance-worthy “The Bungalow,” complete with retro animated visuals that’ll encourage you to sing along. Lyrics like “Life is a Rhythm / And you can play it the way you want / Live by the river / Or rent a POS by the beachfront showcase the positive, carefree nature of their songs and lyrics. The song also pays homage to their hometown of East LA as well with phrases only LA locals would understand like “Life is a prison / If you live west of the 101 / I like my streets skinny / With a mango cart on every one.” Take a listen here:
“King of The Doves” mixes funk and pop elements with new wave sounds. It’s another track fit for dancing and will have your head bopping along to the beat and ’80s synth sounds.
Mating Ritual head into disco territory with “Voodoo,” the third single released from The Bungalow. “Voodoo is about a man who finds himself so charming that he doesn’t believe anyone could ever ghost him” says Ryan Marshall Lawhon. Take a listen below and get ready to boogie:
Dive into Mating Ritual’s discography, starting with The Bungalow, which will have you feeling like it is possible to party during quarantine. Then, dive into the rest of their discography which is equally filled with good vibes and high energy indie-pop anthems.
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