Brume Announce New LP Marten; Post “Jimmy” Video
Holy shit. I’ve been expecting word of Brume‘s next record for a minute now, both because they’re playing Desertfest London and because I’m generally a dork and keep up with their socials, but hearing the surge of emotion in the chorus of lead single “Jimmy” from their new album, the soaring and stately, commanding vocal reach of Susie McMullan and the patient unfurling of the song behind, well, golly, that’s striking. If Brume‘s third album, which arrives as they mark a decade’s tenure, is to be a moment of arrival for them, that would only be consistent with 2019’s Rabbits (review here) and their 2017 full-length debut, Rooster (review here).
I was fortunate enough to see Brume at Desertfest New York 2022 (review here) and so got to experience the now-four-piece’s dynamic with McMullan, guitarist/vocalist Jamie McCathie and drummer Jordan Perkins-Lewis bringing Jackie Perez-Gratz (Grayceon, sit-ins with Neurosis and so on) in to add textures of cello and vocals. After that, and listening to “Jimmy,” I have perhaps unreasonably high expectations for Jimmy — which isn’t coming out until frickin’ May!; boo — that come coupled with a firm sense of surety they’ll be met.
From the PR wire:
BRUME drop first video single ‘Jimmy’ and details of new album “Marten”
Bay Area goth-doom quartet BRUME have chosen the opening track ‘Jimmy’ from their forthcoming new full-length “Marten” as the first video single. The band’s third album is scheduled for release on May 3, 2024 via Magnetic Eye Records. The album pre-sale is now available at http://lnk.spkr.media/brume-marten
BRUME comment: “I wrote ‘Jimmy’ in the voice of an angry wife married to a middle aged rockstar who has emotionally retreated from fame, family and his former self”, singer and bass player Susie McMullan lets on. “We all fall in love with the same characteristics that eventually drive us nuts. I bet falling in love with a famous artist exacerbates that.”
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BRUME (pronounced ‘Broom’) are living proof that California is not all sunshine and easy living. The San Francisco-based quartet organically blends doom metal, goth, and indie rock into a sometimes monolithic, sometimes delicate blend of heaviness that resides firmly on the darker side.
After a decade of sultry sounds and hair-raising crescendos, BRUME push sonic experimentation and delightful genre-bending even further on their third full-length “Marten”. The expansion into a four-piece with the addition of Jackie Perez Gratz on cello and vocals has opened a cosmos of new possibilities that the Californians determinedly explore. Weaving soaring melodies over melancholic doom pop generates songs that are equally intimate and haunting yet also massive and crushing.
BRUME originally formed as a trio in 2014 when guitarist Jamie McCathie from Bristol, England began making music with bass player and vocalist Susie McMullan from Baton Rouge, Louisiana after discovering a shared passion for both trip-hop and sludge. The addition of Jordan Perkins-Lewis on drums completed the line-up with his rich and experimental style of drumming, and set the stage for the band’s recordings.
The trio quickly gained momentum with their doom metal albums “Rooster” (2017) and “Rabbits” (2019), the former being named ‘Album of the Year’ by The Ripple Effect and the latter earning the top spot on Wonderbox Metal’s ‘Best of 2019’ list. BRUME also left their mark onstage, appearing at Desertfest London in 2017 and Desertfest New York and SXSW in 2019, along with many more shows on both sides of the Atlantic.
On third album “Marten”, BRUME perfectly balance the melancholic power of the cello with forceful vocals and dueling guitar conversations. The complex mood swings that seamlessly move from sensuous and restrained to soaring and explosive found a perfect producer in Sonny DiPerri (EMMA RUTH RUNDLE, LORD HURON, PORTUGAL THE MAN). With the right engineer behind the board, the San Franciscans adopted a songwriting approach that emphasised poetry and lyrics rather than starting with a riff. This way of working uncovered a more vulnerable side of the band.
With “Marten”, BRUME take a bold step toward their musical future by challenging first themselves and now listeners to move from comfortable spaces toward more challenging, less familiar destinations.
Tracklist
1. Jimmy
2. New Sadder You
3. Faux Savior
4. Otto’s Song
5. How Rude
6. Heed Me
7. Run Your Mouth
8. The Yearn
Guest musician
Laurie Shanaman – additional vocals on ‘How Rude’ and ‘Heed Me’
Line-up
Susie McMullan – vocals, bass, keys
Jordan Perkins Lewis – drums
Jamie McCathie guitar, vocals
Jackie Perez Gratz – cello, vocals
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