Respire’s last record, 2020’s Black Line, was one which I enjoyed, but I think may have fallen foul of the music journo’s annual cycle curse. It came out in December of that year, meaning I was deep in ‘end of year list’ territory and as such maybe didn’t commit as much time to it as I should have. I say this with (I think) good reason, as this new record displays a serious combination of the things I like most in my extreme and/or alternative music. I will have to go back to the last one again for full context, but for now at least, I’m going to talk about this record as something of an island.

Firstly, there are 45 minutes of music for one to get their teeth into here. 10 tracks, ranging from 2:46 (the final track incidentally, so something of a subversion there) to 6:12 in length. The opener isn’t far behind at 6:09, again, not necessarily where you might expect to find the equal lengthiest track. But Respire don’t seem to concern themselves much with convention, I’m very happy to say. The 7-piece utilise synthesisers, piano, violin, viola and trumpet, liberally across the record. And on top of that they bring in guest performers on glockenspiel, music box, vibraphone and more besides. It might sound on the face of it like this could be a recipe for disaster. But it’s a long way from it.

And this is where I’m going to have to try to articulate the sound of this record. Respire retain some of their signature black metal influence and the scathing texture that this typically provides is also still present. But only in particular passages. Blast beats and torn-chord vocals are used at least as often to characterise moments of catharsis and even something approaching triumph as much as they are to convey anything more negative. The really impressive part is how the myriad different instruments are utilised, often simultaneously, to create a soundscape that evokes the exact message of the band. In their own words: "The album serves as a tribute to those who have uprooted their lives and their families in search of hope and a better future. It also serves as a cautionary tale to those who remain complacent, falsely secure in the privileges of their illusory societal positions.“ If it sounds hard to evoke such a nuanced message in musical terms, then that only goes to display how well-crafted this record is.

If I had to try to distill the sound of this record down to a few words, I’d be thinking along the lines of: Contemplative. Dynamic. Emotive. Moving. Unlike some bands with a ‘post’ prefix, Respire have managed to weave their maximalist instrumental patterns into something frequently soothing and graceful. The vocals don’t follow suit I should make clear and although far from mellifluous, somehow they sit atop the musical canvas like rough-cut diamonds on a silk tapestry. Carefully curated peaks and troughs are enhanced by the presence or absence of the vocals in ways that are surprising and satisfying in equal measure. And even those moments that are truly surprising manage to feel organic. It’s a wonderful quirk in a record of rare quality.

There is a lot to love in this record. It’s a bit like if MØL did a collab with American Football and added a dash of Rolo Tomassi. For people who are keener on something more immediate, then that could sound like a nightmare but I think this record is so well-executed that the gratification one feels from the tracks and the record as a whole should be palatable to pretty much everyone interested in the more progressive ends of the (quasi) extreme spectrum. I for one, am blown away by this record and am immensely grateful that I’ve been able to commit the requisite time to it after the disservice I now feel I may have done to the last record. It doesn’t hurt that I share Respire’s political views and the message of this record of course, but I would hope most people at their core have the humanity to agree with the themes covered. Either way, the delicate touch Respire are able to utilise is only ever drawing a discrete veil over the fury the band feel and when that is revealed, it is all the more rousing for it. Being this ‘extra’ whilst also welding patience and restraint is an unusual combination, but one that demonstrably generates extraordinary results in the right hands.