Danish Gen-Z rising star, 21-year-old Vincent Ryder, follows up his 2023 debut with a new, astonishing work of art.
The album ‘Way Too Quiet’ serves as part two of the ‘Doomsday Trilogy’ Vincent Ryder, quite the megalomaniac, is working on; If the debut album ‘The End of The World on TV’ was pre-apocalyptic, ‘Way Too Quiet’ is post-apocalyptic!
We find ourselves in a not-too-distant future. The bomb has been dropped, the catastrophe has happened, and the world is now a wasteland – but not just the outer world: the apocalypse is also something that happens within, like when you suffer from severe heartbreak. The inner world mirrors the outer, but there is hope! In the midst of this bleak and dark universe, you can glimpse light on the horizon, and yes, the world will rise again, just as the narrator eventually will get his broken heart mended.
Musically, we are still in art rock and apocalyptic protest pop land. Just like on ‘The End of The World on TV’, Prince, Bowie and David Byrne proudly stand as godfathers to their common musical child, Vincent. The Who’s rock operas ‘Tommy’ and ‘Quadrophenia’ are other sources of inspiration, while contemporary artists, such as Lil’ Yachty or Tyler The Creator, are part of the equation.
Like them, Vincent Ryder freely steals and borrows from the junkyard of the music history: you get funk, metal, trap, cabaret and rock in a blazing blend, without ever compromising on integrity.
Perhaps that is why it was just right to ask another uncompromising Danish artist to participate on ‘Way Too Quiet’, namely Sort Sol frontman Steen Jørgensen, who lends his ore-filled voice to the songs ‘Children in The Woods’ and ‘The River’. The latter is also released as a single in a radio edit.
Listening to ‘Way Too Quiet’ is like watching a movie – maybe ‘Blade Runner’ or ‘Mad Max’ – or attending a play or an opera. You’ll be shaken, moved and altered after experiencing ‘Way Too Quiet’!
“Still, the songs and music direct the listener’s gaze towards a fateful, near future. But still, the songs and music (all written by Vincent Ryder) also send thoughts back to old times and names capable of surviving such as, yes, David Bowie, Tom Verlaine and Sparks. But the surprising thing is that Vincent Ryder is Danish; that he is so young, so talented and so confident and original.”
- Ivan Rod, GAFFA ★★★★★
“With this album, Vincent Ryder really stands on his own two feet, and the trilogy is set to be a three-for-one. This album is not the sound of the difficult second album, but rather the masterfull work of a journeyman, even though his mentor Aske Jacoby is still involved as both producer and musician. It seems that in the encounter with music, they both understand and manage to grow out of their familiar roles. Maybe we could all learn something from that!”
Mads Kornum, All That ★★★★★
“Vincent Ryder is not only a child of his generation (the so-called digital generation Z), but musically a child of decades of progressive art-rock – from the most socially critical and future-oriented bands of the sixties to the inescapable David Bowie and all those who followed. We get ballads, classic rock songs and hybrids, all delivered to move you by his characteristic bright voice, sound better than ever before”
- Capac Music blog
” ‘Way Too Quiet‘ easily earns a solid 5-of-6 Latebar clovers. However, I’ll grant the album the sixth clover for bravery and boldness.
I so wish more young artists would break free from the algorithmic format tyranny and conform business structures ruling popular music today. And I wish more labels would dare challenge the status quo and keep music an ever developing art form.
Art is, after all, breaking rules and challenge what is known already. And Vincent Ryder is right here; guiding the way. Bravo and thank you!”
- Kenneth Ley Milling, Latebar Music Blog 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
“Listening to Way Too Quiet is a cinematic experience and can be compared to being a spectator at a theatrical play. You feel struck, shaken and moved after witnessing Ryder’s beautifully staged songs.
With Vincent Ryder, generation Z has got the definitive Danish signature male voice.”
- Martin Loft, Loftskammer Music Blog ★★★★★
Catalogue no. GB031
Release date April 4, 2025
