BIG|BRAVE release transcendent new album in grief or in hope
Out today via Thrill Jockey
BIG|BRAVE touring North America this Summer with The Body
BIG|BRAVE, the Montréal/Berlin-based trio of guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie, guitarist Mat Ball, and bassist Liam Andrews, have unveiled their transcendent tenth album, in grief or in hope – out today via Thrill Jockey. This album finds the group diving headfirst into guitar-centred droning compositions full of live, an innovative vision of electro-acoustic sound and emotive storytelling, and an endless bounty of overwhelming distortion and devastating beauty. BIG|BRAVE will be embarking on an extensive North American tour with The Body this summer (full dates here).
Uncut deemed this record “compelling”, whilst the Polish magazine Mint said that the band “cements their position as artists who are always able to offer something new in the realm of heavy sounds.” God Is In The TV Zine said they were “as bold and as uncompromising as ever.” Metal Epidemic described the release as “an album carved out of air and pressure… it moves like the weather”. Everything is Noise described this album as “one of the boldest and most realized albums of their career, a dense and meditative work that feels alive in the spaces between notes that many acts dare not enter.” Boolin Tunes dubbed this album as the “epitome” of their sound, whilst Noizze said “Minimalist in form yet maximalist in execution, BIG|BRAVE perhaps encompass the grand scope of all they’ve created before, with one eye still on the future. Ever the artisans, it’s an alluring offering from one of Canada’s most sublime bands.”
REVISIT THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “AN UTTERING OF ANTIPATHY” BELOW:
The work of BIG|BRAVE is ever-expanding. The trio’s singular masterful sculpting of sonics into songcraft tucks layers of vulnerability into frenetic storms. in grief or in hope marks a shift for BIG|BRAVE towards denser guitar-oriented compositions. With longtime touring bassist Liam Andrews (MY DISCO, Aicher) joining guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie and guitarist Mathieu Ball in the studio for the first time, the pieces are keenly layered with a rich tapestry of harmonics and tonal intricacies. The trio’s instinctual progressions made more vivid through live recording, harnessing the gargantuan and storied sound of their performances. Wattie writes: “All that I could reflect on was grief and hope; death and life; cause and effect; shared experiences of being a human person.”
The tenth album for the ensemble, recorded with longtime collaborator Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets, in grief or in hope pays homage to their past while looking into their future. Standout “the ineptitude for mutual discernment” expands on lyrical themes first explored on 2015’s Au De La where “verdure” echoes melodies from the title track of 2014’s Feral Verdure. These references to their past serve as potent reflections on BIG|BRAVE’s evolution as artists. A sonic whirlpool of string instruments surround Wattie’s commanding vocals as she shifts from spectral undulations on pieces like “what may be the kindest way to leave” to the direct, spare declarations of the title track. The ambiguity of mountainous chords on “an uttering of antipathy” are coupled with autotuned phrases emphasizing the protagonists’ isolation inside the fray. Together the trio shift deliver emotional momentum that vividly describes the complex and deep feelings of struggle, pain, and transcendence. in grief or in hope transmits that sense of humanity with every gesture.
in grief or in hope album cover
REVISIT THE VIDEO FOR “THE INEPTITUDE FOR MUTUAL DISCERNMENT” BELOW:
BIG|BRAVE tour dates
8 Jul. – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Upstairs [tickets] *
9 Jul. – Portland, ME – Space [tickets] *
10 Jul. – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz [tickets] *
11 Jul. – Toronto, ON – St Stephen in the Fields [tickets] *
12 Jul. – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop [tickets] *
14 Jul. – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle [tickets] *
15 Jul. – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry [tickets] *
16 Jul. – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge [tickets] *
17 Jul. – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive [tickets] *
18 Jul. – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge [tickets] *
20 Jul. – Seattle, WA – Black Lodge [tickets] *
21 Jul. – Vancouver, BC – The Cobalt [tickets] *
22 Jul. – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios [tickets] *
24 Jul. – Sacramento, CA – Café Colonial [tickets] *
25 Jul. – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill [tickets] *
26 Jul. – Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon [tickets] *
27 Jul. – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar [tickets] *
28 Jul. – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge [tickets] *
30 Jul. – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves [tickets] *
31 Jul. – Austin, TX – 13th Floor [tickets] *
1 Aug. – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall [tickets] *
2 Aug. – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa [tickets] *
3 Aug. – Birmingham, AL – Saturn [tickets] *
4 Aug. – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Purgatory [tickets] *
5 Aug. – Durham, NC – Pinhook [tickets] *
6 Aug. – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery [tickets] *
7 Aug. – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA [tickets] *
8 Aug. – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg [tickets] *
* w/ The Body
