Ringdown, the duo featuring creator-musicians Danni Lee and Caroline Shaw, has released "Two-Step," its first single via Nonesuch Records. With strings, keys, and synth melodies rippling around a crisp beat and Danni Lee’s vocals, “Two-Step” channels the technicolor rush of falling in love. “‘Two-Step’ is about letting go of your inner critic and trusting your own intuition,” says the duo. “It’s about forward momentum toward things that feel good. It’s about trusting that sometimes what may seem like a wrong turn could be the best route you’ve ever taken. Also dancing. It's about dancing.”
Portland-based cinematic pop duo Ringdown, featuring creator-musicians Danni Lee and Pulitzer and Grammy winner Caroline Shaw, releases its first single via Nonesuch Records, “Two-Step,” today. With strings, keys, and synth melodies rippling around a crisp beat and Danni Lee’s vocals, “Two-Step” channels the technicolor rush of falling in love. The song can be heard below and here. A physical release compiling Ringdown songs will be released at a later date to be announced.
“‘Two-Step’ is about letting go of your inner critic and trusting your own intuition,” say Caroline and Danni Lee, who are partners on and off the stage. “It’s about forward momentum toward things that feel good. It’s about trusting that sometimes what may seem like a wrong turn could be the best route you’ve ever taken. Also dancing. It's about dancing.”
Ringdown’s intricate pop music floats up from the dusty record bin between Brahms and Brandi Carlile, reflecting the joy the duo delight in as they explore the spaces between genres and their various musical pursuits; Caroline has won a Pulitzer Prize and several Grammy Awards for her boundary-breaking compositions and contributed music to films including Beyoncé’s Homecoming, Danni Lee writes emotionally stirring lyrics and relishes in challenging how instruments are “supposed” to be played. The pair find additional inspiration from artists including Sylvan Esso, Glasser, Robyn, James Blake, boygenius, The Blow, and more. The duo first began performing at intimate shows in 2022, quietly releasing their songs periodically.
Ringdown songs are also rooted in celebration and admiration of human emotion and love, written while the duo was falling in love themselves. “For both of us, music has always been a means of communicating beyond language. We hope Ringdown’s music helps people feel everything they have been too afraid to feel,” continue Caroline and Danni Lee. “We hope it gives people the permission to feel and share those feelings. We joke and say that our greatest wish is that this music might make two people fall in love. So please make the first move and send our songs to your crush.”
Ringdown performs at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 22, the Thuringia Bach Festival in Erfurt, Germany on April 10, Brooklyn’s Public Records on April 17, and New York City's Carnegie Hall (with Decoda) on May 14. Caroline will also tour with Sō Percussion this spring. For all the tour details, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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