Band: lowheaven
Song: “Amherst”
Album: Ritual Decay
Release Date: August 29th, 2025
Label: MNRK Heavy
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Vocalist/guitarist Dan Thomson elaborates on the single:
“This is a tough one for me. From where this song started, until where you hear it now, it has been through the wringer. This was the first song written for lowheaven, but probably the last one to feel finished. It was hard to let go of; hard to accept that there would be a point where it was done. Letting go of this song was like letting go of a part of me that I wasn’t ready for. A rock bottom and a redemption all at once. Even listening back to it now, preparing to play it with the band, it stirs something that I’ve been burying.”
Vocalist Mikey Buchta remembers:
“The progression of the song and what it ultimately became was not something that was planned or forced but what felt natural. So much of the song was done organically in the studio. Our producer would express ideas and take us to a destination we were unfamiliar with but easily accepted. A lot of songs can have a shining star element that people think of immediately when the song is mentioned and I feel that ‘Amherst’ only works because of every element coming together.”
Guitarist/keyboardist Alex Pley agrees:
This song hits hard in a different, underhanded way compared to the rest of the album. It incorporates a ton of clean layering that builds and swells until the climax hits like an emotional hammer. There were points where we discussed cutting it all together as it isn’t as ‘heavy’ as the rest of the album, but after finishing it in the studio, it is arguably the hardest lowheaven song to date and not for the faint of heart.
Guitarist Pat Pajak adds:
This song feels like the catharsis that offers a glimmer of hope and peace after a long, hard, and treacherous road that is Ritual Decay. Mostly, a territory we don’t often traverse. It’s refreshing. This one is somewhat our ballad, and we are proud to share it… we hope it can resonate with everyone, from all sensibilities.
