nuntius - angelangelangel (Review)
By Joe Guatieri
angelangelangel is the solo project of Liverpool musician Lott Ridgley. He is most well known for being the vocalist of the Noise band Victim Unit, alongside Danny Page. angelangelangel sees Lott stepping out into performing music on his own for the very first time. I met Lott through attending gigs that Victim Unit were performing at in Bristol, the duo wowed me with their visceral aggressive sound and deeply meaningful lyrics about freedom from the pain of SA. They came across as so genuine and every time you see Victim Unit live you’re not sure wether to bring out the finger guns, mosh or have an emotional breakdown in the corner, or all 3 at once. They are overwhelming and genuine. I previously put them on live at a gig last September with Nadja, Urzah and Crash Bandighoul at The Cube in Bristol. They killed it then and they still kill it now. Over time I became a close friend of Lott’s and he started telling me about this other project that he was working on, prefacing that he wanted to make something beautiful. I took note of these exchanges that we were having and eventually put him on as angelangelangel at an all-dayer called Pissmas which happened at the Exchange, in Bristol last December. He had only performed as angelangelangel very few times at that point and although he was nervous beforehand (anyone would be playing on the stage in the main room at the Exchange), he ended up smashing it with a stunning all-encompassing performance. Marrying together Drone and Noise in a way that soft and intriguing, no attack, just simply existing. It was the outlier of the day and he the entire noise scene proud. Now at this point he has more performances under his belt, so far in 2026, Lott had played more angelangelangel sets than what he has done with Victim Unit and I think that is a testament to this project. Now with no singles or teases of any kind, angelangelangel brings us his studio debut, nuntius.
nuntius opens with capillary waves which presents us with sprinkles of bells and chimes, whispering through both channels. A track that contains no vocals whatsoever and is purely just focused on feel. capillary waves is a blanket made up out of clouds, sitting in a place of comfort, not to cause any harm. It sounds like it was made entirely outside, it might as well be a field recording, you can almost sleep to it.
Then we go into Track Two with eupnea. Unlike the previous song, this one is entirely made up of Lott’s voice, going through effect after effect and slowly layering up on top of each other. In continuation of opposing forces, it doesn’t feel welcoming at all, more anxious, in the way that the voicing cry’s out. It reminds me a lot of what Bjork was doing on her Medulla record, making songs entirely out of the human voice, an instrument that we’re all born with. It’s unnerving, you get bombarded by backwards reverb that sounds like angelangelangel is snoring, this is a nightmare.
Up next we have echos in which after the hit of the now all-so familiar tiny cymbal, there is a high-frequency hum going on, like a kitchen appliance that hasn’t been turned off. echoes feels more open compared to the two previous songs as there are more elements at play in the background, the piece goes from being directly in your ear to being behind you. There’s a dripping sensation happening which just makes me comprehend what exactly is going on until an itchy distorted texture creeps up into your space, slowly getting louder as more time passes. In my head for echos paints the picture of breaking into a top-secret lab after-hours to see what the hell is going on. Stumbling upon an experiment that evil scientists have been cooking up, you can’t explain what you see but an unknown entity is under captive. Danger is for now hopefully under control but what happens when it isn’t, what happens when the locks are unsealed? Will you be safe? The uncertainty presented with echos makes it my favourite track on nuntius.
Closing the LP we have a two song suite with nuntius I and II. The first chapter presents a role reversal on capillary waves, it takes bird sounds and elongates them into unfamiliar territory. It’s followed by Lott’s deep breaths which cause confusion as the bells start ringing, is this deja vu, are you living the same day again? Whether yes or no, it’s too late now as distortion rears its ugly head and boils around you until it’s too hot to handle, it’s overwhelming. My ears genuinely start to rumble from the simple inclinations that Lott is applying with his breathing, that joint with the incessant buzzing feedback. As far as I’m concerned, nuntius I is a sleep paralysis doing who’s only goal in life it too upset you. Then we have the next page which continues the assault on your senses. Whilst the other tracks on the album have hints of it, this is as noise-induced piece here with such a scratchy surface. There are frequencies which when noticed rise and fall throughout, this definitely fits into the Harsh Noise Wall arena but there are changes going on, there is a pulse. It’s punishment whilst dangling a rope towards freedom, it’s a tightrope balancing fear on one side and hope on the other, the hell continues on for over 6 minutes. Then to your amazement, after fumbling in the dark for what feels like an eternity, you grab onto the rope with all your might and pull yourself up back into society. Again you hear Lott’s breathing and birds chirping, the beauty of nature is back once more.
Overall with nuntius, angelangelangel presents a listening experience which is human in every way. It take you on an emotional journey without the safety net of lyrics, instead presenting landscapes for you to gaze upon and make up your own mind. It doesn’t take you by the hand, there is no guide here, it’s just you and the world at your feet. Instead of being a hammer over the head, it’s kept ambiguous and the views that you get do the talking and the thoughts that you gain paint the pictures. The music that Lott presents in Victim Unit with Danny is much more immediate, it has something to say and with angelangelangel, Lott simply just lets it be. This listening experience is for those people who are patient and looks for the finer details in life, it looks down to a grassy floor and sees a ladybug and wonders how it got there. nuntius is wonderfully crafted by angelangelangel, seemingly from scratch it has been born into this world fully realised, bringing a tear to my eye with its careful approach. It’s here, it’s now and it’s real. “I just want to make something beautiful”, you have done!
I can’t give art like this a rating, it would do is a disservice. Listen to it and experience your own journey by yourself x
Footage of angelangelangel at Pissmas 2025 / 9th December, Exchange (main stage), Bristol













