RiTchie forges his solo endeavour, shares debut release ‘RiTchie Valens’ and self-directed music video
PRAISE FOR RiTchie
“Rhymes are scant, but his performance is engaging, the lack of percussion accenting his subtly metered flows”
“Field recordings, distorted synths, and agony-stricken vocals from Ritchie, create a dense, misshapen soundscape”
“Ritchie with a T’s growing breathlessness gives the song an oppressive, claustrophobic quality”
“Striking vulnerability”
“A public service announcement for you to stop in your tracks”
“Eerie, nigh-apocalyptic bars”
RiTchie Valens is out now, buy/stream it here.
Phoenix-based artist RiTchie, of Injury Reserve/By Storm, debuts his solo project in 2024 with debut release ‘RiTchie Valens’. LISTEN + WATCH HERE.
RiTchie’s solo project embraces the playful, tongue-in-cheek side of his personality, following surprise guest features with Loraine James on ‘Déjà Vu‘, Ho99o9’s ‘Stunt Double‘ and Tony Velour’s ‘TV James a.k.A B3K‘. Carefree and casual through approach, the accompanying self-directed music video, shot by Parker Corey, follows RiTchie through sand dunes and his home studio, finding him doing anything other than being affected by the outside comments and criticism he raps about.
Describing ‘RiTchie Valens’ as “the perfect introduction to this new side journey I stumbled upon,” he explains the happy-accident nature of his solo project’s genesis: “Over time, I have mentally created these huge qualifications for any music released under the IR/BS name, making sure that everything I do is different/interesting/technical enough for the reputation we have built over the years.
“None of this is bad practice, but this environment I created for myself can sometimes make the process feel intimidating and defeating. What started as a personal outlet to release these mental barriers, ended up with me having some fun music I felt comfortable, then confident, and now excited to put out there in the world.”
Fresh from an interstate move, it was while Nathaniel Ritchie was still in high school that he found a close knit circle of like-minded creatives, sharpening his rapper chops in an otherwise deserted hip hop scene. Though it wasn’t until RiTchie and his two best friends found inspiration from the broader Arizona DIY scene that they would go on to foster the “chaotic punk-rock energy” (Stereogum) of Injury Reserve and strike gold.
Boldly experimenting amongst themselves would take the misfits, with RiTchie at the helm, on an unprecedented journey that boast a reputation as makers of change: for Phoenix, of all places, as a space of previously untapped talent-worthy attention; and for the genre, as leaders of a cult-following for their alternate, anti-tradition offering. Today RiTchie steps out on his own, with another exhilarating realm of possibility at the tip of his pen.
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