Rituals (Watchhouse album)
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| Released | May 30, 2025 | |||
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| Length | 40:56 | |||
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[When we were recording Rituals], it really felt like the only way to finish was to push through [...] We're glad the sound comes across as warm and cozy, even if the process didn’t feel that way to us.
Rituals is the eighth studio album by the American folk duo Watchhouse. It was released on May 30, 2025, by Tiptoe Tiger Music and Thirty Tigers.[3] It was preceded by the release of the lead single "All Around You", on February 25, 2025,[4] and the second single, the album's title track, on March 28, 2025.[5]
Critical reception
In Andrew Guiden's review of Rituals for American Highways, he wrote that the album "serves as another example of [Watchhouse]'s ability to create simple beauty."[6] The album was ranked twenty-first on Rolling Stone Magazine's 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of the year.[7]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Andrew Marlin.[1]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shape" | 2:38 |
| 2. | "All Around You" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Beyond Meaning" | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Rituals" | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Firelight" | 3:19 |
| 6. | "False Harbors" | 3:59 |
| 7. | "In the Sun" | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Glistening" | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Endless Highway, Pt. 1" | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Sway / Endless Highway, Pt. 2" | 6:37 |
| 11. | "Patterns" | 2:58 |
| Total length: | 40:56 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]
Watchhouse
- Andrew Marlin – vocals, bouzouki, mandolin, electric tenor guitar, 12-string guitar, harmonium, acoustic guitar, mandola, pump organ, piano, production, additional tracking
- Emily Frantz – vocals, electric guitar, bouzouki, fiddle, acoustic guitar
Additional contributors
- Ryan Gustafson – vocals, baritone guitar, bass, 12-string guitar, harmonica, piano, production, additional tracking
- Josh Oliver – vocals, electric guitar, banjo, 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar
- Clint Mullican – bass
- Jamie Dick – drums, percussion
- Nat Smith – piano, Mellotron, cello, effects, additional tracking and engineering on "Beyond Meaning" and "Rituals"
- Matt Smith – pedal steel
- Alli Rogers – engineering
- Jerry Brown – additional tracking
- Kevin Boggs – pedal steel engineering on "Firelight" and "False Harbors"
- D. James Goodwin – mixing, mastering
- Zoe Van Buren – artwork
- Cameron Laws – creative direction
- Sandra Katharine Davidson – creative direction
- Cameron Cook – layout
References
- ^ a b c Rituals (Media notes). Watchhouse. Tiptoe Tiger Music, Thirty Tigers. May 30, 2025.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ McGregor, Nick (June 17, 2025). "On New Watchhouse Album, Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin Lean Into Rituals". INDY Week. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ "Watchhouse Announce New Album 'Rituals' and Summer 2025 Tour Dates". Glide Magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Sarah (February 25, 2025). "North Carolina Duo Watchhouse Announce New Album "Rituals"". INDY Week. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ Watchhouse [@watchhouseband]; (March 28, 2025). "Brand new song Rituals is out today!!! This song is a leap of faith, a message to anyone struggling to leave a former self behind. When circumstances change, sometimes who we think we are changes, and then our established rituals and patterns no longer serve us. We seem to cement ourselves through constant sharing and projection, and it feels like it's in direct conflict with staying present and evolving. Rituals is a song of empathy, both for ourselves and for others". Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Instagram.
- ^ Gulden, Andrew (May 29, 2025). "REVIEW: Watchhouse "Rituals" • Americana Highways". Americana Highways. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ Stone, Rollin (December 12, 2025). "The 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2025". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 16, 2025.