Mating Ritual is the pen name of Ryan Marshall Lawhon, a 27-year-old Los Angeles transplant who’s makes new age and post punk inspired indie rock.

When he was young, the precocious Lawhon took an early interest in his mother’s record collection. Growing up on Ray Lynch, Laurie Anderson, and Enya, he was undoubtedly influenced by the calming groove of ‘90s new age and the very literal sound of recorded ocean waves. But too much beauty can numb even the most tranquil of minds, and Ryan eventually became infatuated with the comparatively aggressive and brooding sounds of post punk and early 00’s garage rock.

Enlisting the help of former Pacific Air bandmate and brother Taylor Lawhon, along with drummer Rob Humphries, Mating Ritual’s quasi mission statement is to blend those opposing ideals with timeless hooks, a visceral dichotomy that bridges decades of music.

In March 2016, Mating Ritual released it’s debut EP, ‘Mating Ritual’, which took it’s influences and melted them into concise pop songs that tells the story of the modern mating ritual in all its blissful and perverse forms. The four song collection took turns sitting at the top of the online blog aggregate Hypemachine charts and racking up millions of plays on streaming services like Spotify and Soundcloud.

In September, Lawhon and co. will release Mating Ritual’s second EP of the year, boasting 4 new tracks that push the boundaries of Lawhon’s ever recognizable production and songwriting as he turns his focus inward and explores the inevitable dissatisfaction of life’s barriers.

Hilly Dilly says “The Los Angeles artist’s songwriting is once again at a level that really has no comparison”, Buzzband’s called him “more beefcake than cheesecake” and Neon Gold touted Mating Ritual as “a gamechanger”.