Infernal Restraintsof Sound Mind Riley Reyes May 2026

Reyes’s 2020 EP, Sound of a Mind , hints at this struggle. Its title track is a haunting ballad of self-discovery, with lyrics like, “I build castles in my mind, but the storm keeps tearing them—still, I keep building.” Here, the “storm” reflects the infernal force of doubt, while the “castles” symbolize the human urge to create meaning. Riley’s sound mind, then, is the ability to persist, undeterred, in the face of such restraints. How has Riley Reyes turned their restraints into art? By embracing contradictions. Their stage persona, a fluid blend of androgyny and flamboyance, challenges the rigid binaries of identity. In an interview with Artistic Pulse Magazine , Reyes noted, “I wear the masks they demand, but I am the sculptor of my face.” This duality—artist as prisoner and architect—defines their creative ethos.