The Autumn Ravine released their latest single ‘A Little Sleep’ just over a month ago – and it is phenomenal. Frontman Damon Griffiths displays colossal talent with his huge vocals, while their ambient-like riffs crescendo and fall in waves of pure energy and bliss.
Hailing from East Sussex and Kent, this lot are slowly but steadily making waves within their local scene, which are quietly beginning to ripple outwards. The release of their EP ‘The Garden of England’ in April 2014 gave them a boost, allowing them to showcase what they have to offer with acts such as Lower Than Atlantis, AvaGrace, and more. Their latest release though is outstanding – title track ‘A Little Sleep’ sweeps in with its powerful chorus, while ‘I Won’t Hold You Down’ is glorious with its melodic hooks and soothing atmosphere.
They take influence from a multitude of bands – Deaf Havana, Twin Atlantic, and Foo Fighters are some of them. With such a variety of influences, all from very different sounding bands, it can sometimes be difficult to come together and write music that everyone enjoys creating and playing. But as drummer Thomas Gaskill explains, “It started out as just Damon, Lee, and myself messing around with some ideas, until my first band’s producer got in contact with me, I sent him some rough demos and it went from there…Alby came along and had some ideas of his own that we really liked, and we couldn’t just steal them from him unfortunately, so he ended up joining us.”
But how do this lot create such emotional, atmospheric music that packs a powerful punch, when they all listen to such diverse music? “Musically, we just write what comes naturally. We don’t try to achieve anything specific, but everything fits together.”
What’s interesting about this bunch is that they’ve released both their EP and single on Bandcamp as a free/pay-what-you-want download – a bit of a risky move when you’re just starting out on this path. However, Thomas disagrees, saying, “Nowadays, I think that it can really help a band starting out, and I feel that we have definitely benefited from it.” And he hits the nail on the head too, where illegal downloading is concerned: “Living in a day and age where the majority of people are torrenting music anyway, we’re open to offering our music for free.”
But saying that, the support they’ve received from their fanbase is astonishing. When talking about ‘The Garden of England’ EP, Thomas says, “Some people have paid as much as £15-£20, which is just crazy, but they clearly support and enjoy what we do.” And so they should. The Autumn Ravine have executed both their EP and single perfectly, bringing together beautiful releases.
So, what’s next for The Autumn Ravine? “We already have our second EP recorded,” Thomas says. “We have a few shows here and there, and are planning about a week’s worth of shows with some friends of ours, as well as trying to spend the remainder of the year gigging.” But they’re not content with just that, and are looking ahead to the future. “We’re already writing material for our third release!” Excellent stuff.
The Autumn Ravine’s EP and single can be downloaded from their Bandcamp. You can also keep up-to-date with them on Facebook and Twitter.
JESS TAGLIANI