Biography
Mating Ritual is the solo dance-rock outfit of Ryan Marshall Lawhon. Based in Los Angeles, Lawhon was one-part of Pacific Air, a synth-rock duo with his brother Taylor. In 2014, the siblings put their group on hold so that Taylor could go back to school. Ryan forged ahead with his new project, a bouncy blend of hand-clap arena rock and synth melodies inspired by the '90s electronic and new age inspirations from his childhood, like Laurie Anderson, Ray Lynch, and Enya. Balancing those atmospheric sonics with the spirit of his emo and post-punk influences, Lawhon released his debut single in 2015. "Toxins" unveiled a hook-heavy sound reminiscent of the Naked & Famous, Miike Snow, and Passion Pit. He went on to release a string of other singles that year ("Game," "Moonlight" and "Hum Hum"). For his debut EP, he collaborated with his brother Taylor once again, as well as drummer Rob Humphries and singer Lizzy Land. The four-song self-titled Mating Ritual was released in early 2016. Building upon existing shimmery electronic layers, Lawhon bolstered the songs with some glam rock muscle on "I Can't Dance" and '80s new wave on "Don't Know Your Name." Early 2017 saw Lawhon issue a trio of singles – "Thief," "Second Hand," and "Drunk" – in anticipation of the release of his debut full-length How You Gonna Stop It?, which dropped later that June.
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