Following his single “Fantisising,” London-based indie, dream pop artist, Ritho is once again putting the struggles of a twenty-something into words on one of his latest tracks, “Never Fall In Love.”
Poetry for an overthinker, “Never Fall In Love” expresses overwhelming fear of the potential pain of losing someone. The dreamy and driving soundscape juxtaposed with introspective lyrical worries put an ironic spin on the typical ‘love song.’
We chatted with Ritho about the single, his upcoming EP, and more!
What inspired your new single, “Never Fall In Love”?
I’ve always felt that every song I have heard about love is always about happiness and euphoria and is painting it in rainbows; which I agree that it is all of that and more, but I sometimes feel like love can also be incredibly painful. I sometimes struggle with the fear of losing that loved one to a point where it becomes overwhelming. So “Never Fall In Love” is kind of an ironic spin on a ‘love song’ as it says, love can be so extremely painful because you care so deeply about that special person or persons. Which I do admit, sounds a lot more anxiety than I ever intended it to be.
What was the writing and production process like?
I had the intro for a long time on my voice notes and it was done at 4am after a night out, and then I just forgot about it. I was working on a song a couple of months later and was looking for inspiration on my voice notes and I found it and the rest just kind of poured out of me. The perk of always writing about real things that have happened to me is that I just have to make it rhyme rather than make up a story that makes me sound cool. I normally write and produce at the same time, but I was really lucky in that this one naturally just fell out of me. It is rare that it happens, but so nice when it does.
“Never Fall In Love” and your previous single “Fantasising” introduce a new sound for you. How would you define that sound, and what was it like creating that new sound?
I worked as a songwriter for a couple of years before this and I think I just got fed up with other people singing what I wrote and passing it as their own? So the whole process of finding my sound was really liberating because I just decided to be honest and if people liked it then great, if they didn’t then that’s fine too. I spent a lot of time writing songs or using production techniques that ‘made me sound cool,’ but I just got sick of it. So instead, I just decided to do what felt authentic to me. I was never the ‘cool kid’, I was always the ‘weird kid that sits at the back of the class’ so I really hope that my music reflects that.
How do these songs tie into your upcoming EP?
They are very good intros into the EP. I am a big overthinker, and the EP reflects that. I wanted to put out a body of work that genuinely felt like a deep dive into my head. I think they preface that by starting to let people down the rabbit hole. These songs also were the start of my artist journey and became the reference points throughout. I wanted the songs to build off them and go deeper, and I also wanted people to start from the beginning, so that’s what I did release-wise. I started from the beginning.
What can fans expect from that EP?
A melting pot of my intrusive thoughts, best and worst moments meshed together in an alt-pop / dream-pop setting. There’s a song on there that even the person who it is about doesn’t know that I think this way. I have no idea why I had the terrible idea of releasing it for everyone before telling them, but here we are. We’ll see what happens.
You’ve noted on Instagram that music is your escape. What is it like inviting listeners into that world?
That’s a really great question. It feels exposing and liberating. There’s a lot of freedom and fear that comes with being openly yourself and exposed, but I just hope that other people can find escapism and comfort in them. I don’t want everyone to like it, but I just hope the ‘weird kids in the back’ who spend all the time in their own heads do. It’s kind of music for my younger self and it would be awesome if those same people find it and love it.
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to your music, what do you imagine it looking like?
I would say, having headphones on, walking in the park, and screaming along without knowing any of the words.
How do you hope people feel after listening to this song?
Maybe a sense of release? Either by relating to what I am saying or by just giving them something to bop their heads along too. Or maybe total anger about how much they hate it, that would be pretty cool too.
What can fans look forward to next?
Next, I have a full EP out on the 01/09/23. As well as this, I have a headline show at the O2 Islington, which I am so excited about. I think above that, I have been working really hard for a long time, and I hope people love it as this is only the beginning and there is a lot more already in store, so if you like it then I hope you stick along for the ride.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
I would say to be you, because you’re going to be shit at pretending to be someone else. (Sorry for swearing).