As expected, and as we announced earlier this summer, Reality Distortion have unveiled their brand new EP ‘Ceasefire’, an observant, timely record that shares an incredibly powerful and rebellious message. The Upstate New York-based sibling duo doesn’t hide the main influences behind the record. In fact, that’s one of the EP’s strongest qualities; written as a consequence of the increasing misinformation and political turmoil that’s been rife in the US throughout the last decade, ‘Ceasefire’ sees Reality Distortion taking a stand against the current state of affairs, yearning for a better future.
Such a powerful lyrical picture coexists perfectly with Reality Distortion’s hazy and gloomy aural qualities. A celebration of opposites, the group oscillates between sublime dream-pop sections and grittier guitar-driven crash-outs. What follows is a record that bathes in liminal atmospheres, an EP that moves on the fringes, one that feels peculiar but also extremely relatable and empowering.
Intrigued by ‘Ceasefire’, we caught up with Reality Distortion to learn more about their artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey guys, thanks for chatting with us! It seems to me that your project as a whole is a heartfelt reaction to the troubling reality that surrounds us all. Do you think that music can help us cope with the state of our world? I guess that’s what art is for, right?
One hundred per cent. I think art, and specifically music for us, is how we make sense of the world. It allows us a deeper understanding and compassion both towards ourselves and others.
‘Ceasafire’ is your latest EP, a five-track record drenched in symbolism and empowering lyricism. What might sound like a haunting alt-pop body of work reveals a much more layered lyrical outlook. What’s the main reasoning behind the EP?
The pivotal moment for this EP was this past January, watching everything in Minneapolis come to a head with the occupation of ICE. You name it, we felt it: rage, despair, helplessness, sadness, and also an incredible amount of hope looking at the way the community came together and made it abundantly clear who was and wasn’t a member of their community. Writing music is how we make sense of the world, and so this was our attempt to make sense of so much senseless violence. The result was a collection of peace, protest and possibility.
How long has it been in the works? Not to be dystopian, but I get the feeling that this is a record that saw itself manifested in real time. As in, it became increasingly true as months passed. Finally, here we are, in late 2026, and ‘Ceasefire’ is incredibly on point given the current cultural landscape.
Some of these songs have been around for almost 8 years. The first three on the EP, ‘Ceasefire’, ‘Legacy’ and ‘Speak Now’ all started 6-8 years ago. ‘Ceasefire’ was originally written at the start of Trump’s first presidency, when the media was feeling very Orwellian, and there were constant references to “alternative facts” which felt like doublethink. The real reason we chose to rework some of these songs and round out the EP with newer ones is that these power dynamics haven’t shifted. The themes we talked about eight years ago are just as relevant today as they were then. It feels like we are really putting these songs into action and listening to our own call to ‘Speak Now’… speak out!
Is there a song that you are most proud of? For instance, I love the collaborative ethos behind ‘Renaissance’…
It’s hard to pick a favourite honestly. I think ‘Renaissance’ definitely embodies a lot of the themes of the EP. We put into practice all of the things we’re talking about… the importance of art and community was really exemplified in that song.
Would you define yourselves as activists? ‘Ceasefire’ does seem to cater to that world as a whole.
I think first and foremost we would identify as artists. This EP definitely does try to challenge the status quo and embolden people to hope for a better world, and to move towards that.
Shifting the focus to the creative side of things, how do you approach songwriting and production? Do you usually start from the lyrics or from a melodic idea?
It really depends. I’d say most of the time we start from a melodic idea, and lyrics will emerge later, but it’s different song to song. For Devon, it almost always starts as a melody, and for me, maybe 30%-40% of the time I have a lyric, or fragment of a lyric that I will build a melody around.
Is there a clear division of ‘labour’ between you two? Or is it mostly a collaborative process?
During the creative process, it’s mostly very collaborative. There are different songs where we wear different hats… sometimes a song will be mostly written by one person and produced by the other, or vice versa, but at this point it’s quite collaborative. We write, record, and produce everything ourselves, so there are a lot of ways to show up for each song. It’s always really cool when we’ve been working on song ideas separately and then are able to come together and realise they fit together in a single song.
Lastly, what’s next for Reality Distortion? Any live shows or upcoming releases?
We do have some fantastic benefit shows coming up: a little festival to support the AFSP, and then a show to support Women’s reproductive rights and SA victims. We have a lot of offers coming in, so you can always go check our website for the most up-to-date gigs!