With their black, bubbling cauldron of garbled voices rising higher than ever, New York-bred duo White Ring make us witches dance again with FATE.
Release date: September 11, 2026 | Independent | Instagram | Website
Call it destiny? Call it karma? Or call it FATE? These are the questions that must have literally gone through the minds of Adina and Bryan Kurkimilis of White Ring during the creative process for their new full-length. Boasting an ominous black-and-white image of the old Twin Towers on its front cover, FATE‘s release ever so conveniently lies on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For many acts, this convenience would seem pretty crass, but given White Ring‘s New York, NY origins, it comes across as more of an homage to their roots than something a supreme edgelord would come up with.
The paranormal glow of this cover photograph is bewitching enough as it is, but what’s really bewitching is the music – in that it’s very closely linked to the microgenre known as ‘witch house’. I’ve only ever heard music with that descriptor once, and that was when I listened to some of Grimes‘ early stuff. Although her music is only tangentially related to the term, I was intrigued enough by the vibe that I had to review a witch house album for Everything Is Noise at some point. Why not start with White Ring‘s latest?
Upon hearing the synth-heavy opening track, “Eyes 4 U”, I’m already fascinated by White Ring‘s deep vocal manipulations. As Adina croons ‘only have eyes for you‘, one of the entire album’s only audible lyric fragments, hazy pads and pulsing bass melodies keep the song’s dreamy pop feel afloat. Even with Bryan rapping over her like Future or some other 2010s mumble rapper, “Eyes 4 U” appears to be the song least influenced by witch house, but it’s a welcome deviation from the style, nonetheless.
The other nine songs across FATE are much more firmly witch house, which makes sense considering White Ring were early pioneers of the scene. They all share a common link in that their garbled voices sound downright demonic, as if the great Satan himself was projectile vomiting into a giant cauldron. The voices only grow more modulated and indistinguishable from one another with “d00med”, a Pastel Ghost-style vortex of modern r&b that’s been contorted to ‘beyond infinity‘ levels. Honestly, it’s difficult to tell – is it r&b? Hyperpop? Sh00gaze!? – but at the bare minimum, White Ring synthesizes all of witch house’s trippiest elements and spins them into something wonderful. Pure witchcraft.
Nods to prominent noise pop acts such as Sleigh Bells (“TLC”) and My Bloody Valentine (the swelling introduction to “Wyst”) also show up every once in a while, a sonic smack to my face each and every time. “Salt the Earth” rides a house beat and undulating arpeggiators, reminding me of an early ’10s recession-backed rave under a NYC skyline all lit up for the night. Even more remarkable is how “CATATONIC” morphs itself into a steady reggaeton drum groove midway through without sounding too hackneyed. These are all great examples of witch house’s immense power, but when compiled together onto one album, the sheer chaos of all those bass-heavy synths and garbled voices bleeding into one gets just a bit monotonous. As such, tracks like the last two – “Anubis” and “Boots on the Ground”, respectively – lack the sort of extra spark that helped ignite tracks prior. The last one is especially amorphous, with no sense of direction in vocals or instrumentation. When compared to the opener and “d00med”, I can’t help but feel disappointed by FATE‘s rather shabby ending.
Regardless, in all their witchy essence, White Ring is like gazing through a window to a dark dimension while its inhabitants smack themselves against the glass trying to get at you. Listening to FATE, it just aches to be heard while high, like you need to alter your mind so you can sink in and surround yourself with it fully. Get a surround sound system and tune it right – this shit can be transcendental.
