Progressive alternative rockers Pure Reason Revolution return with their sixth studio album, Coming Up To Consciousness, to be released on September 6, 2024 via InsideOutMusic. Betrayal, deception, fear, grief, mortality, and questions of mental health: heady and primal themes animate Pure Reason Revolution’s latest concept LP. In fact, the band’s new single is titled “Betrayal.”
Jon Courtney comments:
“My daughter says when we see a white butterfly it’s Dennis visiting us, ‘and your soul is still passing by’. I felt so guilty after I had him put down that it took me two years to accept that it was the right thing to do at the time. ‘Not Made to Feel Your Death’ shows how you can think you’re prepared for such an event but then be devastated afterwards.
“Greg and I started this track in Portland, I brought it back to Berlin and got it into shape.
“This guy plays a great bass line that might even make me dance or jump around the stage when we play it live! I hope you like it.”
Coming Up To Consciousness is the third album by the band, which has been resurrected after the break and began with Eupnea (2020) and continued with Above Cirrus (2022). Like these two predecessors, the new album is very personal. The eight tracks are all between four and seven minutes long – concise by PRR standards – and they deal with darkness of various kinds.
Courtney, who is based in Berlin, shared writing duties on several tracks with US-based Greg Jong. The pair formed Pure Reason Revolution together in the early 00s at the University of Westminster and created the breakthrough hit “The Bright Ambassadors of Morning” as their third annual project. They reunited during the formation of Eupnea and have continued the partnership both in the studio and on stage since then. Legendary session musician Guy Pratt, who has worked with Pink Floyd among others, played bass guitar on seven of the eight tracks, resulting in more sophisticated bass lines than on any of Pure Reason Revolution’s previous records. Meanwhile, Ravi Kesavaram, of My Vitriol fame, returns to drums on this record after touring with the band in 2022.
Another new addition to this record is vocalist Annicke Shireen, known for her work with Shireen and Heilung as well as her solo project. Shireen stepped in after original PRR member and fan favorite Chloe Alper was unavailable for the last few live shows. With Alper’s schedule full for the foreseeable future, she was unable to rejoin the lineup. She and Courtney agreed that having Shireen sing on the record would make more sense if she was going to continue performing at shows. Both Courtney and Jong are thrilled to be working with her:
“In many ways, it’s impossible to fill those shoes,” says Greg Jong. “But we were just blown away by how good she is. We were really excited by the fact that she has a similar vocal tone to Chloe and yet can definitely hold her own.”
The band were also thrilled to be able to work with several members of prog icons The Pineapple Thief. The album was mixed by Bruce Soord and mastered by Steve Kitch. One track features Jon Sykes on bass. Coming Up To Consciousness is also the third PRR album to feature a cover by Jill Tegan Doherty, who Courtney originally met on a German course in Berlin.
The album will be available as a limited CD+DVD digipak (with 5.1 surround sound and high-resolution stereo mixes), as a standard CD jewel case, as a gatefold ReVinyl LP (recycled vinyl) and digitally in stereo and Dolby Atmos.
Pre-order here.
Tracklist:
“Prelude: Becoming Conscious”
“Dig until you die”
“Interlude 1”
“Betrayal”
“The Gallows”
“Interlude 2”
“Useless animal”
“Interlude 3”
“Worship”
“Interlude 4”
“Bend the Earth”
“Lifeless creature”
“Interlude 5”
“While we disappear”
Video “Betrayal”:
Video “Useless Animal”:
Video “Dig Till You Die”:
