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A Cloud of Ravens
A Cloud of Ravens at Webster Hall, New York City, 2024; from left to right: Matt McIntosh, Beth Narducci
Background information
Origin	Brooklyn, NY, U.S.
Genres	Post-punk Darkwave Alternative rock
Years active	2019–present
Labels	Metropolis Records Nexilis Cleopatra Records
Members	Matthew McIntosh Beth Narducci

A Cloud of Ravens is an American rock duo, based in Brooklyn, NY, comprised of Matt McIntosh (guitar, vocals), and Beth Narducci (bass, vocals)

History

McIntosh had self-released early A Cloud of Ravens songs as a solo project beginning a year prior to he and Narducci meeting at a bar in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, in the fall of 2019. After a quick bonding over the shared experiences of a Generation X-era upbringing, and similar musical interests, McIntosh would later share formative A Cloud of Ravens demos with Narducci, which would motivate the two to move forward with the project as a duo. Though McIntosh began writing for A Cloud of Ravens as early as 2018, he has stated that he did not consider it an actual band until he and Narducci partnered for the endeavor in 2020, with their first live performance being in early 2021.

The duo signed a one-off deal with American independent label Cleopatra Records for the release of their 2021 full-length album Another Kind of Midnight, which garnered favorable reviews for the band’s merging of classic and contemporary genre sensibilities, as well as the accompanying lyrics which reflected a world amidst a global pandemic, and polarized by political and moral tribalism.

In 2022 the band signed with Berlin-based imprint Nexilis, a subsidiary of Schubert Music Group EU, who released their next full-length effort Lost Hymns in April of 2023.

Philadelphia-based independent label Metropolis Records licensed and reissued Lost Hymns in North America as “Lost Hymns - Extended”, nearly a year to the day from its initial release, with three new tracks largely written and recorded following the band’s six week tour of Europe and North America, supporting Then Comes Silence, The Sisters of Mercy, and Clan of Xymox respectively.

In August of 2024 the duo supported first wave UK post-punk band The Chameleons for the northeast leg of their headlining US tour on which they performed, in-full, their classic second full-length album Strange Times (The Chameleons album).

Members

Matt McIntosh came of age in the American Hardcore punk movement, having become involved with the youth-based subculture in and around southwestern Connecticut and Manhattan during the mid to late 1980s, attending all-ages shows at venues like The Anthrax, and The Ritz (rock club). He played guitar in various bands from the late-1980s forward, perhaps most notably with Connecticut-based hardcore outfit Hatebreed, having been a member of the band through the late ‘90s, touring extensively, and playing on their full-length debut Satisfaction is the Death of Desire, now largely considered a classic of the genre.

Beth Narducci grew up in a succession of areas that include Florida, New Orleans, Chicago, and Austin, TX, having been involved in varying measure with their respective gothic and industrial music communities. Since locating to New York City in the late 1990s, Narducci has become a music industry veteran, having been affiliated at various capacities with several labels and media outlets, which include Vice Media Group LLC, Washington Square/Concord Records, as well as Director of A&R at Atlantic Records. She founded You + Me Entertainment in 2014, and currently manages several active artists.

Musical style and influences

At their outset considered a component of the contemporaneous gothic rock resurgence, and often compared to legacy acts like The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus (band), and The Cult, A Cloud of Ravens’ subsequent output has moved successively toward an expanded foundation that includes elements of synth-pop, industrial, and alternative rock.

The band have cited ELO, Prince, Fugazi, Killing Joke, Depeche Mode, The Clash, Tears for Fears, Samhain (band), Secession (band) Public Enemy, Simple Minds, and The Jesus and Mary Chain as influences. A Cloud of Ravens have covered songs by the Rolling Stones (Sympathy for the Devil), and The Clash (The Call Up), the latter with all proceeds going to benefit civilian victims of war-torn Ukraine.

McIntosh’s lyrics have been characterized as "poetic", “intellectually intriguing” and as having “a philosophical tone”, sometimes exploring socio-political structures, civil unrest, and environmental concerns, interwoven with vaguely romantic, and more metaphysical and spiritual-based themes.

Of Lost Hymns The Big Takeover Magazine said “The sound is shaded, edgy, underground to the point of being subterranean, a swirl of post-punk energies and gothic thrill, alt-rock urges, darkwave-dance grooves…. and majestic cinematic epics”.

Alice Teeple of Post-punk.com noted “They seamlessly murmurate between the past and present, crafting a timeless sound. What sets A Cloud of Ravens apart is their willingness to take risks and push the boundaries of the genre by transcending time and space, speaking to the struggles and triumphs of the human experience".

In May of 2023 A Cloud of Ravens were named in the article ’10 New Goth And Darkwave Bands Keeping The Spirit Alive’ by Grammys.com, alongside acts such as She Past Away, Drab Majesty, and Twin Tribes.

Discography

• Sacred Hearts EP (2018) self-released
• In the Wicked Hours (2019) self-released
• Another Kind of Midnight (2021) Cleopatra Records
• Lost Hymns (2023) Nexilis/Schubert Music Group
• Lost Hymns - Extended (2024) Metropolis Records | Nexilis