Unfurl

Between its rippling beats, mellifluous guitars, poised piano and questing vocals, Unfurl does what its title suggests: develops as if organically from Ry X's previous work, blossoming in delicate new directions while holding firm to its roots. I think my mission statement was simply to remain vulnerable and to capture that within this album, says Ry. The inspirations change each time, and I always want to allow that process to be free, to draw on new ideas and sounds and instrumentation. But what feels consistently important to me is keeping a sense of rawness and honesty in the work. In order to preserve their subtle power, most of the songs were recorded live using analog equipment at an old east LA studio and in an airstream converted into a studio on his land in Topanga. That space proved to be the perfect environment for Ry to extend and expand on the searching thrust of his lyrics, a rich source of sparing potency on Dawn. As Ry puts it, Unfurl entwines a lot of conversation with the self on deeper conceptual ideas and a hint of healthy existentialism with themes of sensuality and all that is beautiful. It was, he says, quite deeply a solo process. I am looking forward to opening up my process more as I grow. But I know I make the work most connects to my heart when I do it alone.