Character Actors Release “Everywhere Is Good Except For Where We Are” EP
Leeds, UK's Character Actors have today released the Everywhere Is Good Except For Where We Are EP that is available…
After earning a fresh wave of international attention with their recent track Dust, the genre-blending, emotionally charged Brutus today share their brand new single Liar. Both songs will feature on their upcoming third album, Unison Life, which will be released on October 21st via Hassle Records / Sargent House Records and is now available bye for pre-order. Liar is fundamentally Brutus, starting off with a snaking guitar riff, it lifts off into an anthemic post-rock chorus. Sonically, it feels like a bridge between their previous album, Nest, and the upcoming Unison Life, combining the changes of direction they’re known for with the concentrated force of the new album. In contrast to Dust, which was born out of the frustration of the demanding behaviour of friends, Liar instead 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, 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. 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.” (Vocalist / drummer Stefanie Mannaerts)
The band translated this duality of lies and life behind a mask into the accompanying video for Liar, for which Stefanie and director Maximiliaan Dierickx travelled to the desert near Marrakech and Essaouira in Morocco to capture. Unison Life is Brutus at their most intentional. It’s an album of extremes, and a blistering illustration of a boundary-pushing band at the top of their game. The heavy parts are even heavier, and the gentle moments are more melodic than ever before. Thematically, it’s similarly exploratory, questioning whether a life of contentment is a myth or a challenge, a delusion or a goal. This new album also sees the band more deliberate about their sound than ever, having had the time and space to really consider their direction due to the global pause on touring.
Stefanie comments, “I wanted every song to feel like the last song we’ll ever write. 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.” That’s precisely what Brutus have achieved throughout the album. Completed by guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden and bassist Peter Mulders, the band’s disparate influences, post-metal, electronica, punk, country and melodic rock, have combined to create a sound that’s as heavy as it is unexpected, and full of beauty and surprises.