Brooklyn-based duo, Ray Bull, released their third EP “Little Acts Of Violence” on Feb. 21. Made up of Tucker Elkins and Aaron Graham, the band has been releasing music of various styles since 2021, combining elements of indie, folk, rock and pop while leaving the most emphasis on their songwriting abilities. This newest addition to their discography is no exception, continuing to grow their already alluring collection of eclectic songs.
The Torch got a chance to chat with Ray Bull about “Little Acts Of Violence,” as well as their various artistic pursuits, their TikTok fame and much more.
The two met while studying visual arts at The Cooper Union in Lower Manhattan, Graham, originally from Westchester, New York, and Elkins from Los Angeles. Both had similar relationships to music growing up, learning various instruments for fun, but never pursuing it seriously until after college.
“I still love making [visual] art, but I was really going down the path of trying to have an art career and I kind of burnt out on it,” Graham said. “I just found myself in a weird spot where I was more compelled to make music. It felt more romantic, and more like the audience was immediate in terms of knowing whether or not what you’re doing has an impact.”
Elkins agreed, and felt similarly about becoming “disenchanted” with the art world.
“Painting feels like this club where you have to know the rules to understand it. Whereas music and film, everybody feels like they have permission to consume that. [Music] felt like the best breeding ground for art ideas.”
Their visual art side hasn’t left their brand completely with their creatively peculiar album covers, music videos and even t-shirt designs.
“We’ve never really worked with a creative team outside of ourselves to do that stuff, because we have the skills and we just love doing it,” Graham explained.
The way they harness their creative skills certainly attributes to the authenticity and uniqueness of the work they produce. Whether it’s merchandise with Anne Hathaway’s face on it or a TikTok documentary featuring Elkins spending all their money at L-Train Vintage, Ray Bull certainly knows how to make something completely their own.
TikTok has been a major stepping stone in growing the band’s following, coming mostly from the virality of their mash-up videos, combining two songs that “sound the same.” The duo has combined songs by anyone from Drake and Justin Bieber to Chris Stapleton and The Strokes, showcasing their vocal range as well as their stunning ability to blend their voices.
The concept was born during their early stages of doing shows, when they would perform the mash-ups live on stage. At the same time, they were gaining some traction on their TikTok, making “weird, surreal videos with crazy editing where [they] were lying about celebrities,” Elkins said.
“We were like, ‘We have to let people know that we do music.’ The first idea was to record [the mashup],” Elkins continued. “That was the first idea of many that we were gonna try, but it stuck immediately.” With their account now at over 600,000 followers, it’s clear these videos stuck for good reason.
While their covers give a glimpse of the talents this duo possesses, their newest project, “Little Acts of Violence,” puts those talents on even higher display. The seven-track EP is made up of songs the two have been working on for quite a while, with singles like “I Don’t Know Ya” being out since Sept. 12, 2024.
“Some of the songs were out already for a while, and written a while ago. The creation process was kind of like piecemeal; we were just working on the songs we felt drawn to or felt compelled to work on,” Elkins said of the EP.
“I think, in a way, now that it’s out we’re finally starting to realize what it is and how the songs are talking to each other as a project,” Graham elaborated. There’s a natural progression between each of the tracks, despite their disjointed creation — which almost adds to the unique and dynamic sound of the EP as a whole.
Opening on a strong note, “Better Than Nothing” is bouncy and fun, highlighting their mesmerizing vocal blends, as well as particularly emphasizing Elkins’ range as a singer. The lyrics read almost like beat poetry, with lines like “Back to school, do as I’m told / You were in shock, babe, I was enrolled / Terrible luck, fried system / What is her name, tell me, what is she on?”
Its energy is matched by the title track, “Little Acts Of Violence” and “Dead In Wisconsin,” which are equipped with interesting instrumentals and droning vocals.
These tracks are balanced out by dreamier, mellow songs like “Parasite,” “Reelin” and “MTV.” The softness of “I Don’t Know Ya” highlights the rhythmic nature of their lyrics. The repetition of the lines “Is it time / To let / It go” and “Take your time / But let / Me know” put the listener in a sort of trance, moving through the EP’s themes of growth and change.
The emphasis they both place on their songwriting is prominent in their poetic lyricism. “I feel like we start from the writing — which maybe feels like an obvious thing — but it feels important in a way,” Elkins said. With each track’s production and overall sound being quite different, it’s the job of the writing to keep a common thread.
On the heels of this newest release, Ray Bull begins their tour at The Atlantis in Washington, D.C. on March 7 and ending at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on April 25. Other than the tour, their goals for the future are to “release more music,” “meditate” and “be healthier.”
