Formed in 2015 in the Baltics, avant-blues duo Ringhold consists of Estonian guitarist Kalle Tikas and Latvian vocalist Eleonora Kampe. Together, they’ve released four studio albums: Ringhold (2016), Hello Bob! (2018), KAEV (2022), and Distant Memory (2025).
Kalle Tikas has been active in the music scene since the 1990s, performing with blues and progressive rock bands before branching into experimental sound art and composing for contemporary theatre in the 2000s.
Eleonora Kampe began her sonic journey in 2010, focusing on avant-garde vocal art in its many forms. She primarily works within abstract music as a solo performer, and frequently collaborates with other experimental sound artists. She has released two solo albums on Cruel Nature: tuuljamuud (2023) and Breath. Play. (2025)
Single Takes is a live studio album capturing five distinct tracks recorded in the summer of 2025: ‘Somebody Keeps On Calling Me’, ‘Cave’, ‘Distant Memory’, ‘Blake Or Doe’, and ‘Loobumine’. Among these, ‘Somebody Keeps On Calling Me’ and ‘Blake Or Doe’ are early Ringhold compositions – songs that have evolved significantly over time and accompanied the duo on nearly every stage they’ve played.
‘Cave’ and ‘Distant Memory’ represent Ringhold’s latest sonic explorations – intimate, distilled pieces born from their ongoing experiments with electric guitar and avant-garde vocal techniques. The fifth track, ‘Loobumine’, stands out as the only non-English song on the album. Despite the language difference, it consistently resonates with international audiences, making it a curious and compelling exception in Ringhold’s catalogue.
The entire recording session for Single Takes was filmed by Peata Film, and the video is released alongside the album, offering a visual complement to the music.
Single Takes releases on November 28, 2025 via Cruel Nature Records and is available as a limited edition cassette and a download. It can pre-ordered here on Bandamp.
