Melt Like Clouds

Melt Like Clouds is the mind child of Ryan Cantz. This project explores the struggle of what is real and what is imaginary. Sometimes things feel more like dreams than reality. Taking all the aspects that frequent the subconscious, Melt Like Clouds establishes through audio and visuals how a memory could haunt the mind. These unexplained images need a way out or the internal conflict will affect a person's mental state. Whether your head is in the clouds or your feet are on the ground, how do you know what's really there? Melt Like Clouds is the gray area where a hallucination meets the physical world. 

The debut album, Liquid Dreaming, is a 10-track album full of un-expecting trances and cacophony. The goal of this album is to differentiate dreams and reality. Majority of this album was made at obscure times of the night and early morning due to irregular sleep patterns. Fully produced, written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Ryan Cantz in the summer of 2012. Officially released September 03, 2012.

Following up with the release of Liquid Dreaming, came the release of the second coming of the Melt Like Clouds chronicles. Mile High Island is the sophomore album of this project. Focusing on isolation, reclusion and living inside yourself; this adventure of sounds portrays the mindset and endeavors of a loner who is misunderstood. Written, recorded, produced, mixed by Ryan Cantz and mastered by Channel Fuse Media in the fall/winter of 2012-2013. Officially released April 09, 2013.

As the Melt Like Clouds story continues, Sun Drip opens up a new chapter to the project. This is the third album to be released along this adventure and it demonstrates the changing of times and the evolution of people. While keeping the same experimental electronic sound, this album makes it easier for one to connect to the music and lyrics. Alteration maybe challenging from some but the best stories begin at another's end. Fully produced, written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Ryan Cantz in the winter/spring of 2014. Officially released July 22, 2014. 

In order to illustrate the Melt Like Clouds notion even more, a video for the "Sun Drip" single SLOPES was created. The video brings a story to the project and helps a viewer grasp the vision of the music and eloquence of the work. An isolated artist finds himself on a search to discover a mask but the mask and the character who hid it is all a figment of his imagination. As the first video for Melt Like Clouds, it not only aids a further understanding to the project but also shapes a new one. Directed by Ryan Cantz and edited by Dana Verdecchio and Cole Blackmore.The official video was released on July 14, 2015.

SLOPES is first video to let someone see into the Melt Like Clouds world and following that we see the first stream of illusions with Feathered Ends. The masked man flows on railroad tracks through an engaging forest and ends up at a bridge to a waterway. Directed by Ryan Cantz, Cinematography and editing by Dana Verdecchio and additional camera work by Greg Monastra. The video mirage was released on August 25, 2015.

Entering the waterway, the feathered character begins a journey through an environment of wet conditions in AQUEOUS. Floating on a raft in a huge water hole and roaming through nature's pool, the mystical being creates watery psychedelia to question whether we're just swimming around or swimming through somebody's mind. Directed by Ryan Cantz, Cinematography and editing by Dana Verdecchio and additional camera work by Greg Monastra. The video adventure was released on December 10, 2015.

After the tour of chimera with the otherworldly creature, the first piece of reality begins to manifest in SHADOWS. A man goes in the bathroom to take a pill to hopefully calm his hallucinations but amplifies them instead. Soon the visions take over his body and become real. The man turns into the masked entity that has been haunting his mind. With no way to cope with the problem, the mental state of the man is starting to affect him physically. Directed by Ryan Cantz, Cinematography and editing by Dana Verdecchio, additional camera work by Greg Monastra and makeup by Alissa Jackson. The video delusion was released on March 15, 2016.

As imagination and realism combat each other in previous videos, Melt Like Clouds takes it back to where the whole idea really comes from with WANDERING & HABITUAL. Two songs performed live in a room of fantasy with various instruments and electronics. The music is what gave Melt Like Clouds life and as the project continues the birth of it is just as important as its death. Even though these videos do not expand the Melt Like Clouds story, they give insight on the artist that creates this world of illusions for a further understanding of why Melt Like Clouds came to be. Filmed by Dana Verdecchio and Mike Verdecchio The videos came to existence on June 17, 2016.

Melt Like Clouds exclusively has its own story but the reality of creating the music, videos, photos and traveling around the world performing is a whole other escapade. This piece to the enterprise was something unexpected and it was never thought that Melt Like Clouds would even leave the bedroom studio. In the video for the single REALM, the authenticity is shown with behind the scenes footage, recording vocals and instruments, live shows, the amazing crew who help create this and the lifestyle it takes to keep this monster alive. The song encourages pushing forward even though there are numerous things to put life on pause. The montage was edited together by Dana Verdecchio and released on August 2, 2016.

After a summer of touring and about to enter the fall leg, an unforeseen opportunity opened its door. Melt Like Clouds teamed up with Leesta Vall Sound Recordings to release a limited edition 7" lathe cut record. The records were made on a modified antique record cutting lathe from the 1950's. Each record was handmade, one at a time, in real time, by a real person. The record contains two exclusive songs. The release of VANISH & CALLOW musically demonstrates both ends of the spectrum. With VANISH being the more upbeat in your face cacophony of real world problems and CALLOW being the downtempo hauntingly beautiful live in your head anthem. This record hopes to shed light on the dark areas in life and bring clarity to the static in your mind. The one of a kind record was released on October 11, 2016.

Through the noise of an old television, a skeleton-like man dressed in a tuxedo emerges. He lights up a cigarette, straddles on a guitar and performs a new rendition of the classic tune ANGEL BABY by Rosie & the Originals. The video encapsulates a retro Melt Like Clouds aesthetic using primarily black and white accoutrement. The fancy skeleton character could just be an illusion of an artist's mind but with this vintage wormhole the character could actually be real. The question is where and when is this performance happening in accordance with the masked man and the other Melt Like Clouds souls. The antique production was dropped on December 20, 2016; filmed and edited by Dana Verdecchio.