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Brutus / Third album Unison Life due followed by UK tour

Brutus announce a run of UK shows in November, their first tour in more than three years. Their third album Unison Life is out on 21 August via Hassle Records / Sargent House.

The Belgian trio, who have earned praise from Lars Ulrich, Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro), Ben Koller (Converge) and Greg Puciato, have seen their emotionally charged mix of hardcore, Metal, post-rock and shoegaze reach increasingly wider audiences with each album release.

Unison Life, which follows the albums Burst and Nest, was written in sessions in a rehearsal space in Ghent over the course of 18 months, with frequent lockdown enforced breaks.

The first single released was Dust, which shows the growth of drummer/vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts voice in stature and control. “Dust was born out of the frustration of having friends with demands and expectations that were way too high,” the band said. “It’s a song about being at breaking point; pissed off about everything and everyone.

“Dust is honest, direct and unfiltered. It’s a very special and personal song for us, which is why we wanted this to be the first new song for people to hear.”

The second single released, Liar, highlights the concentrated force of the new album. If Dust was born out of the frustration of the demanding behaviour of friends, Liar realises that the challenges within some relationships need to be faced head-on.

“When things get a bit more difficult or when relationships demand too much energy,” Mannaerts says, “I choose to avoid confronting things or just lie about it for the sake of keeping the peace. At that point, it just seems like the easy thing to do so that nobody gets hurt.

Hella Rock Festival

“But in the long run, those well-intentioned lies will catch up with you, and the peace you thought you’d found turns out to be an illusion.”

Unison Life finds Brutus at their most intentional, the heavy parts are heavier, and the gentle moments are more melodic than in previous work.

Having had the time and space to consider their direction, due to the global pause on touring, Brutus have been more deliberate about their sound. “I wanted every song to feel like the last song we’ll ever write,” Mannaerts says. “It killed me inside because it’s almost an impossibly high standard, but that was my personal goal for this album. It was a two-year quest of trying to do better.”

november

16nov7:00 pmBrutus, BristolThe Fleece

17nov7:00 pmBrutus, ManchesterRebellion

18nov7:00 pmBrutus, GlasgowAudio

19nov7:00 pmBrutus, LeedsLending Room

21nov7:00 pmBrutus, BrightonPatterns

22nov7:00 pmBrutus, LondonThe Garage

Brutus are:

Stefanie Mannaerts (vocals, drums)

Stijn Vanhoegaerden (guitar)

Peter Mulders (bass)

Unison Life

  1. Miles Away
  2. Brave
  3. Victoria
  4. What Have We Done
  5. Dust
  6. Liar
  7. Chainlife
  8. Storm
  9. Dreamlife
  10. Desert Rain
  • Explore More On These Topics:
  • Brutus

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