Biography
The electronic duo Rituals of Mine, based in Sacramento, California, embodies a symbolic rebirth for singer/songwriter Terra Lopez and producer Dani Fernandez. Active together since the 2010s, the pair delivered their official debut through the full-length Devoted in 2016.
Previously operating as Sister Crayon, the two connected in 2010. Though Lopez had founded Sister Crayon, Fernandez’s entry led to the release of Bellow in 2011 and Cynic in 2013, both showcasing beat-focused dark synth shaped by trip-hop and ’90s hip-hop. While tracking what began as the third Sister Crayon album, Devoted, in 2015, Lopez suffered the deaths of her father and her best friend. Following these twin losses, the duo chose a new name both to lay their loved ones to rest and to claim an identity belonging equally to both women. They signed with Warner Bros. and resumed work on the project. Alongside producers Wes Jones and Dave Clauss, Lopez and Fernandez recruited mixing engineer Tom Coyne, whose credits include Led Zeppelin and Adele, for sessions in St. Augustine, Florida. Writing contributions on the title track came from Omar Rodriguez Lopez of At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta. In 2016 they issued the single “Ride or Die,” drawing from the sounds of Portishead and Massive Attack. Ahead of Devoted’s official release, they gained exposure through opening runs with Deftones and Tricky. A series of remix EPs arrived in 2017, presenting electronic reworkings of album cuts including “Devoted,” “Ride or Die,” and “Armor.”
Fresh material began appearing in 2018 with the dreamy single “I’ll Always Be in Love with You” and the clattering electronic track “No Time to Go Numb.” The Sleeper Hold EP surfaced in 2019 and featured the single “Burst.” Lopez then composed the next album’s songs on her own, yielding a more personal set shaped by the earlier losses and her experiences with discrimination; those tracks formed the 2020 release Hype Nostalgia.
Previously operating as Sister Crayon, the two connected in 2010. Though Lopez had founded Sister Crayon, Fernandez’s entry led to the release of Bellow in 2011 and Cynic in 2013, both showcasing beat-focused dark synth shaped by trip-hop and ’90s hip-hop. While tracking what began as the third Sister Crayon album, Devoted, in 2015, Lopez suffered the deaths of her father and her best friend. Following these twin losses, the duo chose a new name both to lay their loved ones to rest and to claim an identity belonging equally to both women. They signed with Warner Bros. and resumed work on the project. Alongside producers Wes Jones and Dave Clauss, Lopez and Fernandez recruited mixing engineer Tom Coyne, whose credits include Led Zeppelin and Adele, for sessions in St. Augustine, Florida. Writing contributions on the title track came from Omar Rodriguez Lopez of At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta. In 2016 they issued the single “Ride or Die,” drawing from the sounds of Portishead and Massive Attack. Ahead of Devoted’s official release, they gained exposure through opening runs with Deftones and Tricky. A series of remix EPs arrived in 2017, presenting electronic reworkings of album cuts including “Devoted,” “Ride or Die,” and “Armor.”
Fresh material began appearing in 2018 with the dreamy single “I’ll Always Be in Love with You” and the clattering electronic track “No Time to Go Numb.” The Sleeper Hold EP surfaced in 2019 and featured the single “Burst.” Lopez then composed the next album’s songs on her own, yielding a more personal set shaped by the earlier losses and her experiences with discrimination; those tracks formed the 2020 release Hype Nostalgia.
Albums
Singles
