Until the Ribbon Breaks are a British trio who blend electronic elements with pop, rock, and hip-hop. The group began as the solo project of multi-media artist and Cardiff native Pete Lawrie Winfield. The band’s name refers to the custom of making mixtapes which will hopefully be played over and over by the recipient “until the ribbon breaks.” Winfield’s first single, “Pressure,” was released in early 2013 and was accompanied by a homemade video which incorporated scenes from David Lynch’s 1997 film Lost Highway. A second track, “2525,” was released a few months later after which Winfield recruited musicians James Gordon and Elliot Wall to complete the band. Their work remixing artists like the Weeknd, Sam Smith, and Lorde gained them some renown, with Lorde eventually inviting them to open her 2013 North American tour. In addition to wrapping up sessions on their debut album, they also did a 2014 remix of London Grammar’s “Sights.” They released their first LP, A Lesson Unlearnt, in January 2015.
In November 2015, Until the Ribbon Breaks announced via social media that James Gordon had left the group to pursue projects of his own. Meanwhile, Pete Lawrie Winfield found his life was spiraling out of control as he became dependent on alcohol and drugs. Winfield traveled to Thailand to detox and seek treatment; there, he experienced a spiritual rebirth, and after spending time in Los Angeles where he collaborated with Elliot Wall, he opted to decamp to the Far East, where he lived in a small hut and composed new music on a laptop computer. October 2017 saw the release of a new single from UTRB, “Here Comes the Feeling,” a song informed by Winfield’s experiences in recovery. ~ Timothy Monger