ABOUT
BIO
The XRAY5 developed over time, coming from a number of Post-Punk bands around Los Angeles. Idle Hands and Nobody's Heroes to name a couple. Ray Arroyo is the founding member of the group - singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist. His songwriter partner Kerry Lambert, bassist, decided to record and release an extended single called GRAVITY in 2018. The producer had created a cleaner sound for the group, but still retaining an 80s feel on their title tracks. "Gravity" was the featured track. It showcased the group's ability to write a track that expanded their audience. "Angelina" was a bonus track that gained some notice as well.
After going to a Twin Tribes show in LA, Ray connected with group to talk about their recordings. The result was a referral to Charlie Vela from San Antonio. The XRAY5 decided to put together an EP in the fall of 2019 called RETICENT. The EP was produced by Charlie who mixed, produced, and mastered the tracks with "Up in Heaven", "Dark of the Lake" , and a cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" as standouts.
The global shutdown allowed Ray for more time to return to writing and recording. As a result, so much material was written that the first XRAY5 album INVERSE was released in December of 2020, A handful of tracks were produced by Charlie Vela, "Corners", "Unsatisfied", and "Songs on the Radio". However, a good amount of material was self-produced. The album was well received around many circles.
During the next few months, Ray had the idea that the band would film a short concert film. In May of 2021, they worked with Matthew Knox from The Antennae to record a live performance. For the event, Ray decided to recruit drummer, Jason Wise and guitarist Rick Marz. The event was such a great experience that Rick decided to join the The XRAY5 full time. They released a cover of the Psychedelic Furs classic, "Love My Way" on December 14th, 2021. That proved to be the driver for slightly more honed sound for The XRAY5.
In July of 2022, they released the EP called Requiem, a tribute to Ray's mom who passed away just a month before. The standout songs from that 6-song EP were "Not Too Kind", "Nothing Lasts Forever", and "The Pain". The group completed work on a video for "Not Too Kind" filmed on the world-famous Santa Monica Pier during the summer and have been playing live shows to support the single.
In November, The XRAY5 released their second album called Elegy on the Hush Ltd. label from Los Angeles. It's an 8 song LP featuring tracks such as Boston, Your Memory, Lonely Place, and Miles Away, all available on streaming platforms. The video for Slither is on their YouTube channel with plans of a few more to be added over the next few weeks.