Ringing – another cycle in the cosmic wash

My love affair with the bands of JoyfulNoise Recordings continues unabated with the sounds of Brooklyn’s Ringing. I swear to god this label has the midas touch.

Ringing are Colton Walker, Marcos Rocha and Josh Matthews, a trio who work in really immediate terms. Their debut album another cycle in the cosmic wash was recorded live in a single session back in 2024, and you can hear that immediacy in every track. Such was the haste at the time that Walker later removed the original lyrics after realising they were saying very little. What was left behind was a record that felt open, searching, and guided by sound rather than fixed meaning. Walker had this to say.

Let’s keep going and dive headlong in to the spin cycle.

That sense of immediacy comes through straight away on ‘datamosh’, where smeared guitar tones blur into one another as the band settle into a loose, shifting groove. We teeter somewhere between shoegaze, grunge and slacker rock and it really works.

A more considered touch comes through on ‘pool 2’, where the guitars pace themselves with a stop start intent. I get big Sonic Youth vibes as the song evolves into its anti-melody phase. The drums and guitars settle into a mirrored thrashing rhythm before the song sputters out leaving us breathless.

If you caught my March DKFM Shoegaze Radio show you would’ve heard me spin ‘incandescent’. It plays with a quiet loud quiet structure. It feels more accessible than some of the other tracks and is a great ‘in’ to the bands sound. The chugging guitar has ‘Coffee and TV’ vibes whilst simultaneously sounding nothing like it. This band really like to keep you on your toes.

On ‘rose/bud/thorn’ the band pull things back. Notes hang longer, the space between them becomes more noticeable. It creates a more reflective moment that has its own beauty. This is as close to a ballad you’re going to get from Ringing! Clocking in at over five minutes in run time the song takes its time and in doing so you find yourself getting more and more sucked in each time. Its my album highlight for sure.

We’re back in thrashy, scrappy territory with ‘familiar’. Right from the opening it feels like a track that will ignite the mosh pit. It’s not a long song by any means but it sure leaves its mark!

‘want2want2’ hits us with a doom-laden intro before mellowing out for the verses. That contrast is only further augmented by the textures used in those heavier passages. The bass is employing some kinda modulation that really thickens the sound up is a really pleasing way.

Unlike its predecessor ‘moria’ opens up all quiet and sneaky like. Then those guitar textures stretch outward, opening up the sound in a way that feels expansive. The rhythm section holds everything together without closing that space down. Another to the point number that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

With ‘straylight bleed’ the band lean further into fragmentation. Is it dreampop? Is it shoegaze? Is it Grunge? Yes is the answer. It’s all of that at once creating a restless feel that keeps you alert. It’s one of the more abstract moments on the album, yet it still feels connected to the session as a whole.

A quieter intensity settles over ‘3am’. The band ease back and let small details come forward, each note carrying more weight as a result. It’s intimate without losing the sense of space that runs through the record. The rumbling bass never sounded more menacing.

By the time ‘delusion lake’ closes things out, Ringing seem content to let everything settle on its own terms. This sounds like a final track on an album if that makes sense. It feels like a culmination of all that’s come before. That ascending chord sequence really bringing that home.

Spending time with another cycle in the cosmic wash feels like stepping into a moment that was captured rather than carefully assembled. The live session approach gives it a real sense of presence. Each listen reveals small shifts in texture and interaction that are easy to miss the first time through. You come away with the sense that the cycle keeps turning, each pass through the wash bringing something new to the surface.

another cycle in the cosmic wash is out now on cassette via Julia’s War Recordings and on vinyl via Signal//Noise Records. You can check it out over on the Ringing Bandcamp page.

You can follow Ringing on social media here…

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