Progressive alternative rockers Pure Reason Revolution return with their sixth studio album ‘Coming Up To Consciousness’, released on September 6th, 2024 via InsideOutMusic. Betrayal, deception, fear, grief, mortality, and questions of sanity: heady and primordial themes animate the latest conceptual LP from Pure Reason Revolution.
Today sees the release of the second single from the album, and you can watch the video for ‘Useless Animal’ here:
Jon Courtney comments of the track: “Very pleased to launch our next single, showing another side of ‘Coming up to Consciousness’. The song’s about how we don’t realise something’s worth until it’s gone.
Taking my dog to be put down & the emotional fallout, the unexpected impact. Grief is the price we pay for love. Written as a result of purposefully trying to avoid my usual repertoire of chords. This was the first track Guy Pratt played bass on, he did a wonderful job & his input spurred on further creativity.”
‘Coming Up To Consciousness’ is the third of its post-hiatus renaissance records that began with 2020’s ‘Eupnea’ and continued in 2022’s ‘Above Cirrus’. Like those two predecessors, the new record is intensely personal. Its eight tracks are all between four and seven minutes long – concise by PRR standards – and they grapple with darkness of various kinds.
Courtney, who lives 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, creating breakout hit ‘The Bright Ambassadors of Morning’ as their third year project. They reconnected during the creation of ‘Eupnea’ and have continued the partnership since then both in the studio and on stage. Legendary session musician Guy Pratt, who has worked with Pink Floyd among myriad iconic acts, provided bass guitar on seven of the eight tracks, resulting in more ambitious bass lines than any of Pure Reason Revolution’s previous records. Meanwhile, Ravi Kesavaram, of My Vitriol fame, returns to the drums on this record after touring with the band in 2022.
Another newcomer on 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 favourite Chloe Alper was unavailable for recent live shows. With Alper’s schedule remaining packed for the foreseeable future, she has been unable to rejoin the lineup. She and Courtney agreed it made more sense for Shireen to sing on the record if she was going to continue appearing in shows. Both Courtney and Jong have nothing but enthusiasm for working with her:
“They’re impossible shoes to fill in a lot of ways,” Greg Jong says. “But we were just blown away with how good she is. We were really excited by the fact that vocally she does have a similar tone to Chloe, and yet she definitely holds her own.”
The band was equally thrilled to work with multiple members of prog icon The Pineapple Thief; the record was mixed by Bruce Soord, mastered by Steve Kitch, and sees Jon Sykes playing bass on one track. ‘Coming Up To Consciousness’ is also the third PRR album to feature cover art by Jill Tegan Doherty, who Courtney originally met in Berlin on a German language course.
The album will be available as a Limited CD+DVD Digipak (featuring 5.1 Surround Sound & High Resolution Stereo Mixes), Standard CD Jewelcase, as well as a Gatefold ReVinyl LP (Recycled Vinyl), and digitally in both stereo and Dolby Atmos.
The band have also confirmed their first tour dates in support of the album, playing in Europe alongside Lesoir in September & October, starting at Be Prog! My Friend Festival in Barcelona.
27th September – Be Prog! My Friend, Barcelona, Spain*
29th September – Stummsche Reithalle, Neunkirchen, Germany
30th September – Backstage By The Mill, Paris, France
1st October – Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
3rd October – Cpunt, Hoofddorp, Netherlands
4th October – Progpower Europe, Baarlo, Netherlands*
5th October – 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
*No Lesoir
The band will also make their first appearance on Cruise To The Edge in 2025, alongside Steve Hackett, Riverside, Haken, Big Big Train, Robert Fripp & many more.
Pure Reason Revolution recently announced their fifth studio album ‘Above Cirrus’ which will be released on May 6th, 2022 via InsideOutMusic. This is the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Eupnea’, which was the band’s first record since reuniting in 2019. This time around, Jon Courtney, Chloë Alper & Greg Jong (who returns as a full-time members for the first time since the ‘Cautionary Tales For The Brave’ EP) find themselves adapting to a world that is radically changing before their eyes, and on this new record, exorcising the isolation and uncertainty in search of something greater.
The band recently completed their first European tour in nearly 13 years, and ahead of the new album’s imminent release, they have launched a video for the latest track ‘Dead Butterfly’. Watch it now.
PURE REASON REVOLUTION – Dead Butterfly (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Jon Courtney comments: “We started living on some land in Brandenburg in a small primitive hut. It was a safe place with all that was going on around. We spent a lot of time on our patch in nature & one day my daughter came across an in injured, dying butterfly. She was sorrowful to see it die & we couldn’t help. The track stemmed from that. This thing of absolute beauty, passing away. Then we stumble across a caterpillar. Discovery, creation & life breathes on.
This probably sees us at our heaviest. Bring Me The Horizon meets Smashing Pumpkins meets Fleetwood Mac.”
Of the recently completed tour, the band commented: “We’re really pleased with how the tour went & still have to pinch myself it was possible after multiple postponements! Fan feedback & interaction is incredibly important; seeing headbanging heads, nodding heads or even just the people that let the music wash over them…whatever type of fan you are, a huge thank you to all that came along & inspired us. As the album release approaches we’re excited to launch ‘Dead Butterfly’ at your ears! Hope you enjoy the track along with the dazzling video from Thomas Hicks. “
On ‘Above Cirrus’, the band continues many of the musical through lines that fans have come to expect; maintaining a balance between somber reflection and intrepid exploration, leading listeners through a shapeshifting collection of seven tracks that evoke a range of emotions. On the songs ‘Our Prism’ and ‘New Kind of Evil’, the energy reaches magnificent heights of guitar-led catharsis, rivaling the best efforts of acts like Tool and Filter, while offerings in ‘Lucid’ and ‘Dead Butterfly’ meld the group’s keyboard-centric song-structures with vast, epic soundscapes. But, unlike its predecessor, ‘Above Cirrus’ is far from a narrative driven concept record. As Jon confides, each song, while fueled by his personal journeys and the condition of modern times, is truly its own device. Reflecting on the lyricism of the record, he adds:
“Often my writing occupies itself with relationships; how we can be so tender/loving with each other in one instance, days later or even in a few flashes we’re tearing each other apart. The sublime & the savage/vicious. The music reflects this light & shade dynamic shift too. Our world shrinks through lockdowns/restrictions & strain is intensified. However, the end message is one of optimism – affirmation we’ll get to the end of this surreal chapter & be stronger together. Through the turbulence, we’ll help each other through the darkness.”
The album will be released as Limited CD, Gatefold LP+CD & as Digital Download, featuring beautiful cover artwork by artist Jill Tegan Doherty, who previously created the cover for ‘Eupnea’. Pre-order now here: https://purereasonrevolution.lnk.to/AboveCirrus
Pure Reason Revolution’s first new studio album in nearly 10 years, ‘Eupnea’, is out now. To celebrate the band have launched a video for the track ‘Ghosts & Typhoons’. Watch the Thomas Hicks-created video here:
Jon Courtney comments: “In 2018 Chloe & I chatted in a London café about the notion of reforming Pure Reason Revolution. Although we’ve already done our first live show back, today feels like it’s really real. Close to the heart experience kick-started the genesis & we stuck to our manifesto of creating under no restrictions, no boundaries. The result was ‘Eupnea’ & we hope you like it. “
‘Eupnea’ is available as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP + CD (with etching on Side D) and as a digital album.
Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper recently sat down to discuss the new record and how it came together, and you can watch them chat all things ‘Eupnea’ in this brand new interview: https://youtu.be/QaxajIoO7xs
At the end of January they launched the epic 10-minute ‘Silent Genesis’, a track which Jon Courtney co-wrote alongside original PRR member Greg Jong. Listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/5khMXtZ6YjE
The full track-listing is as follows: 1.New Obsession 05:09 2.Silent Genesis 10:20 3.Maelstrom 05:44 4.Ghosts & Typhoons 08:45 5.Beyond Our Bodies 04:28 6.Eupnea 13:23
Eupnea’, the long-awaited return from the band, sees them harking back to their earliest days, while rolling in all of the musical experiments and experience they’ve gathered in the intervening years.
The cinematic soundscapes of Hammer and Anvil? Check. The dark atmosphere and synths of Amor Vincit Omnia? Check. The gauzy psych-prog of their debut? Ch-check.
It’s sprawling, with three tracks hitting the 10 minute mark and one notching up against 15 minutes. Sure, track length does not equal ambition, but still, it’s quite the statement of intent.
The band currently have two confirmed Summer festival dates, performing at Night Of The Prog Festival in Germany on the 17th of July, and Ramblin Man Fair in the UK on the 18th of July. They will then head out on a co-headline tour with Gazpacho at the end of the year: 16.10 Warsaw (PL), Progresja 17.10 Poznan (PL), U Bazyla 18.10 Berlin (DE), Columbia Theater 20.10 Cologne (DE), Die Kantine 22.10 Zwolle (NL), Hedon 23.10 Breda (NL), Mezz 24.10 Paris (FR), Petit Bain 25.10 London (UK), Islington Assembly Hall
Pure Reason Revolution originally parted ways in November 2011 following touring in support of their 2010 album ‘Hammer and Anvil’. Since then, Jon Courtney started Bullet Height and released their debut album ‘No Atonement’ in 2017, while Chloë Alper began a new band called Tiny Giant as well as playing live with the likes of Charli XCX and James.
The band originally formed back in 2003, releasing their much-loved debut album ‘The Dark Third’ in 2006 via Sony BMG. They went on to release the albums ‘Amor Vincit Omnia’ in 2009 and ‘Hammer and Anvil’ in 2010.
The first track is taken from their forthcoming new album ‘Eupnea’
Pure Reason Revolution recently announced the release of ‘Eupnea’, their first new studio album in nearly 10 years, for April 3rd, 2020. Today they are excited to reveal the first piece of new music taken from the record, in the form of the epic 10-minute ‘Silent Genesis’, a track which Jon Courtney co-wrote alongside original PRR member Greg Jong.
The band comments: “With some tracks, it’s blood, sweat & tears to get them nailed, but “Silent Genesis” came together really quickly. While Greg & I worked on the music, Chloe was blasting out vocals in London. We had a lot of fun making this track; mangling synths, riffing & unexpectedly outgoing with funk!”
Listen to the track here:
‘Eupnea’ features the work of artist Jill Doherty on its front cover, and will be available as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP + CD (with etching on Side D) and as a digital album. Pre-orders are now available for both physical and digital here: https://PureReasonRevolution.lnk.to/Eupnea
Of the new album the band commented: “We stuck to our manifesto of no musical boundaries and the result was ‘Eupnea’. We return to a more progressive sound with ferocious guitars, thunderous drums and the stacked harmonies that give us our signature sound. We’re excited to begin playing it live.”
You can watch an interview clip where Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper discuss the process of getting back together last year, and playing Midsummer Prog, here: https://youtu.be/sLlKj5u_SJ8
‘Eupnea’, the long-awaited return from the band, sees them harking back to their earliest days while rolling in all of the musical experiments and experience they’ve gathered in the intervening years.
The cinematic soundscapes of Hammer and Anvil? Check. The dark atmosphere and synths of Amor Vincit Omnia? Check. The gauzy psych-prog of their debut? Ch-check.
It’s sprawling, with three tracks hitting the 10-minute mark and one notching up against 15 minutes. Sure, track length does not equal ambition, but still, it’s quite the statement of intent
Last year, Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper reunited the much-loved Pure Reason Revolution, playing their first show in close to eight years at Midsummer Prog Festival in the Netherlands, and performing their debut album ‘The Dark Third’ in full. Today they are excited to announce the release of ‘Eupnea’, their first new studio album in nearly 10 years, for April 3rd, 2020.
The band comments: “We stuck to our manifesto of no musical boundaries and the result was ‘Eupnea’. We return to a more progressive sound with ferocious guitars, thunderous drums and the stacked harmonies that give us our signature sound. We’re excited to begin playing it live.”
You can also watch a brand new interview clip where they discuss the process of getting back together last year, and playing Midsummer Prog, here:
‘Eupnea’, the long-awaited return from the band, sees them harking back to their earliest days, while rolling in all of the musical experiments and experience they’ve gathered in the intervening years.
The cinematic soundscapes of Hammer and Anvil? Check. The dark atmosphere and synths of Amor Vincit Omnia? Check. The gauzy psych-prog of their debut? Ch-check.
It’s sprawling, with three tracks hitting the 10 minute mark and one notching up against 15 minutes. Sure, track length does not equal ambition, but still, it’s quite the statement of intent.
‘Eupnea’ features the work of artist Jill Doherty on its front cover, and will be available as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP + CD and as a digital album. You can view the artwork below.
The band currently have two confirmed Summer festival dates, performing at Night Of The Prog Festival in Germany on the 17th of July, and Ramblin Man Fair in the UK on the 18th of July.
Pure Reason Revolution originally parted ways in November 2011 following touring in support of their 2010 album ‘Hammer and Anvil’. Since then, Jon Courtney started Bullet Height and released their debut album ‘No Atonement’ in 2017, while Chloë Alper began a new band called Tiny Giant as well as playing live with the likes of Charli XCX and James.
The band originally formed back in 2003, releasing their much-loved debut album ‘The Dark Third’ in 2006 via Sony BMG. They went on to release the albums ‘Amor Vincit Omnia’ in 2009 and ‘Hammer and Anvil’ in 2010.
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