"Ever since My Bloody Valentine there have been no shortage of bands choosing to wallop our ears with washes of noisy guitars while teasing those same ears with muffled vocals, but not enough of them--either in the original shoegaze era or in its current "neo" phase--have bothered mixing a strong melody into the sonic assault. The duo calling themselves Ceremony, on the other hand, while making themselves inaccessible Googlistically speaking, have decided to put the "pop" back into noise pop. Springing from the same Fredericksburg, Virginia trio--Skywave--that ended up giving birth to NYC's A Place to Bury Strangers, Ceremony are loud, no question. But right away see how they take the noisy, rapid-fire beat and use it to as a framework for a melody both leisurely and tuneful. The first hint we get is the lilting--in fact, rather Cure-like--instrumental theme that emerges from the beat at 0:16. That's an ear-friendly hook before the singing even starts. The vocals, when they arrive, are buzzy but not buried; you can not only understand a good number of words, but the singer--either Paul Baker or John Fedowitz (both are listed with the exact same credits: vocal, guitar, bass, drum machine)--sings like he wants to be heard; he's got a portentous baritone, but he enunciates, while singing a catchy little tune when all is said and done. Rather audacious of him, especially on a song with this straightforward refrain: "Take my heart and my life/'Cause someday you'll be my wife." Borrowing a bit from a recent post by Michael Azzerad, one might argue that in a loud and angry age such as ours, using this particular aural toolbox to deliver an unironic, non-violent message of love and connection is more subversive than any effort to be just noisy. "Someday" was released on a 7-inch single in January, and will appear on Ceremony's debut album, Rocket Fire, to be released next month. Both releases are on Killer Pimp Records, which also hosts the MP3. Thanks yet again to the indefatigable Largehearted Boy for the head's up." - Fingertips

"I'm not sure if this band's name is taken from the Joy Division/New Order classic of the same name, but even if it isn't, Ceremony isn't exactly the most original band name in the world. Regardless, this is a really good 7". There's harshly distorted guitar and drum machine beats, New Order-ish hooks, and J&MC-ish vocals. Actually, this sounds a lot closer to a few recent re-interpretations of the J&MC sound than J&MC proper. "Someday" sounds like the Magnetic Fields' "Distortion" album, but without the major label polish. Flipside "Cracked Sun" sounds like Blank Dogs but with more distortion, and a drum machine that could even be mistaken for actual drums. Or maybe it actually is a real drumset. Anyway, I dig this single a lot, can't wait for the album." 8/10 - Jordan Anderson, Foxy Digitalis

"Ceremony—one-time members of Virginia-based Skywave Paul Baker and John Fedowitz on vocals, guitars, basses, and lo-fi drum machines—spread two blistering tracks across two seven-inch sides on this teaser to its upcoming full-length, Rocket Fire, scheduled to appear on Killer Pimp in early 2010. Though the group name may reference New Order, Ceremony's sound might more be likened to an ultra-poppy and hyperamped spawn of The Jesus and the Mary Chain and Ride. Though your speakers may be crying for mercy when all is said and done, the tunes themselves have strong pop hearts beating at their centers. "Someday" blazes with a swarm of beehive guitars, charging drum machine beats, and monotone vocals, and anyone who doesn't play the three-minute anthem loud should be arrested. The exclusive B-side "Cracked Sun" roars as royally, with even perhaps with more thunder as Ceremony buries the song's vocals and drumming under an inferno of guitar kerang. A brief but exhilarating ride." - Textura

"With all the deviation in the shoegaze sound, Virginia's Ceremony is proud to stay firmly grounded in the roots of the genre. After the demise of Skywave, a band considered by many to be responsible for the resurgence of shoegaze in America, bassist Oliver Akerman formed the incredible A Place to Bury Strangers, and remaining members Paul Baker and John Fedowitz formed the equally excellent Ceremony. Picking up directly where Skywave left off, the duo's guitars make a tremendous amount of noise thanks to some serious pedal magic. Blisteringly loud washes of guitars are as piercing as they are soothing, contrasting the lo-fi drum machine rhythms tucked just below the mix. Baker.s vocals add great texture, sounding relaxed and calming amongst the breaking dance beats and all encompassing storm of guitar effects." - Exploding In Sound

"There's much to be said about bands that break-up and go on to form other bands. One that stands out for me — mostly because they are/were a local band — is At the Drive-In. They're still responsible for what many consider to be one of the best albums of 2000, Relationship of Command. These break-ups can leave fans waiting for more and ultimately, they'll never be satisfied. The break-up of Skywave is a much smaller affair but where A Place to Bury Strangers was made on one side, here we have Ceremony. And while the former has already garnered plenty of attention, it's only a short brisk of time before Ceremony make it onto the scene. Much like the loudness that pervades such noise rock, Ceremony feature raucous pop hooks and riffs that surmount the loudness. The lead single to their debut album, "Someday," is both inspired by Dinosaur Jr. production and 80s style pop. The bond between them and A Place to Bury Strangers is undoubtedly felt but they've captured their own appealing facets. Although there is plenty of drive, it's a noisy explosion that unquestionably delivers a strong jolt that resonates for a long time after it ends. Included on the flip side is "Cracked Sun," a song that will not be found on the proper LP. And it feels like such a shame because it's every bit as muscular as "Someday," if not a bit more even-keeled. Either way, Killer Pimp's purpose in releasing this 7" single was to get the word rolling on what looks like to be a promising 2010 album from Ceremony. Soaked in reverb and walls and walls of noise, it will be noisy but let's hope it still carries the same drive and pulse needed to deliver the goods." - Bryan Sanchez, Delusions of Adequacy

"Before Stephin Merritt decided orchestral folk-pop songs for Eric Cartman's next tea party constituted Realism, he cranked up his copy of Darklands and titled the Magnetic Fields' 2008 album Distortion. For these former members of Virginia-based Skywave, a band that also spawned A Place to Bury Strangers, that album title could've summed up an entire career. Instead, Paul Baker and John Fedowitz chose to call their post-Skywave duo Ceremony, a moniker that hearkens back to a certain New Order song title (also, probably less relevantly, a short-lived band fronted by Chastity Bono). Aside from vocals recalling Merritt's tired montone, "Someday" doesn't sound like anything you might not be able to imagine from those reference pointsᾹthunderously romantic Factory Records guitar/bass interplay, lo-fi drum machines—but as far as what it sets out to do, it succeeds. And did I mention that it's really fucking loud?" — Marc Hogan, Pitchfork, January 15, 2010

"Creating noisy, brilliant shoegaze like APTBS, Ceremony's tunes are a bit more on the indie pop side, making for an interesting and brilliant mix of influences." - Girls Sold Out

"Someday" is echoey, catchy, distorted, rooted in the '80s, but still plenty loud and totally fucking rocking. It's the single off their next album Rocket Fire coming out on the Brainwashed affiliated Killer Pimp label (emphasis on the killer). The B side, "Cracked Sun," will only be available on the 7". So if you slicksters like to be completists and all, best get on that shit. . Justin Snow, Anti-Gravity Bunny

"Someday" has a poppier melody and more Eighties feel to it than APTBS. I could almost imagine it playing along some Tears for Fears track in a John Hughes film, well almost. . Greg, Ventvox

And New Order lives again. Not in a bad way, mind you. - The Province

a lo-fi splinter to their world of burning frequencies, dark noisy pop, electronic drumming, a bath of guitar gears like phaser, rat, reverb - a genuine dance floor introduction to their forthcoming full-length release - Komakino

"some very fine noise-pop" - Built on a Weak Spot

"Ceremony's music is a superb hybrid of dark noisy pop, shoegaze, and electro; the result is a sound both unique and nostalgic." - Superstarcastic

"Utterly exhilarating" - Opus