by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
It’s been a tumultuous three years since Washington, DC’s Br’er released an album. On top of everything that has happened in this country since the last election (included the attack on Charlottesville that hit the band incredibly hard), Br’er mastermind Benjamin Schurr had a respiratory illness that kept him bedridden for near six months. It’s been a time for fright, anger, and allowing those feelings to exist without corrupting your mind. Take Away From Me The Noise Of Your Songs, the band’s upcoming album pulls from those emotions with a spiritual resolve, emerging with what Schurr describes as a “confused clairvoyance,” and a strong sense of empathy. Due out June 2nd via BLIGHT. Records (Tadzio, Nyxy Nyx, Luna Honey), the band recorded as members were moving across the country, getting together to write in New Orleans and record in Lafayette.
“Fugue State,” the record’s first single, is a bit of an outlier on the record, the perpetual tension and storm cloud atmosphere of the album peeled ever so slightly back. There’s a laid back groove in the composition of “Fugue State,” with a whirring organ sound that feels about a million miles away from the tight rhythm and Schurr’s sultry vocal performance, harmonies and all. The track rolls with a slow burn intensity, as elements take turns pushing into the foreground on a song well written and well executed. Stretched out beyond the seven minute mark, the pacing is casual, with everything placed without a rush. Each progression moves at its most impactful resonance and when the crescendo of the bridge does finally hit, the rush of the swell hits tremendously.