Thank you to guitarist/sometimes-vocalist Jamie McCathie from San Francisco’s Brume for the insights on the band’s new album, Marten (review here). Released in May through Magnetic Eye, it is a stylistic outlier from the bulk of heavy anything, with a character that moves forward from the then-trio/now-four-piece’s past work in ways that are likewise bold and exciting. I’ll put it forward as their best and most expansive collection to-date, and if you’re the type who puts value on year-end lists and things of that sort, I’ve been thinking of it as the one to beat for album of the year.

The songs are accessible, melodic, often beautiful, but it’s not an unchallenging or u h-harsh listen. Bassist/vocalist Susie McMullan, cellist Jackie Perez-Gratz and McCathie often share vocals — drummer Jordan Perkins Lewis even gets a word or two — in arrangements that are dynamic and emotional in kind, and from the accusation in “Run Your Mouth” to the need of “The Yearn,” the righteous spit of “How Rude” and loss-of-place-and-belonging in “Faux Savior,” Marten is unafraid of bearing its heart in a way that any number of genres would benefit by learning from.

I spoke to McCathie and McMullan earlier this year for a video interview, but Marten is such a complete, encompassing listening experience that a dive into the songs themselves felt warranted. As noted above, McCathie was kind enough to get on board with the idea. The results follow.

Thanks for reading:

Brume, Marten Track-by-Track with Jamie McCathie

To start, please tell me about putting the songs together as a four-piece for the first time. How involved was Jackie in the writing? How was it different from when you did Rabbits?

A lil delayed (Euro tour was a blast) so thank you for having me and letting me ramble.

Everything about the approach for this record was new, that’s part of what makes it so exciting.

There were a handful of songs that came out of covid, a huge emphasis on lyrics-first, so there was a lot of instrumentation, arrangement and ideas that all four of us were involved with. Once Jackie started practicing with us on a more regular basis it was amazing how quickly it felt good. Not that I was concerned, but we three have been a unit for 10 years. She brought a level of musicianship and practical music knowledge that elevated everything, our jams, our conversations and even frankly us individually as musicians. She’s really direct about what she likes and dislikes (my favorite trait in a creative) and as you can probably tell, all of these songs have a big influence from her, way beyond just her playing cello.

On our plane ride back from Desertfest NY, me and Jackie talked about doing a ‘Fleetwood Mac’ album now that we had three vocalists. That opened up a lot of ideas and sounds we hadn’t previously explored. We did lots of demos, back and forth critiques with Sonny [DiPerri, producer], so the pre-production process made us talk, question and push each other to try things and get uncomfortable. It was intense but an incredible experience.

Rabbits, I did a little more backing vocals. We pushed ourselves to include more dynamics than previous recordings, but with Marten we just pushed more, further away from the standards of metal/doom. I think Marten sounds like a fairly natural progression from Rabbits. I’m pretty keen to see how much further we go with our new lineup.

How did you land on Sonny DiPerri to produce? Was there something specific you wanted in terms of sound or something about his work that stood out?

We immediately knew from the first few songs we weren’t making a ‘traditionally’ heavy record.

“Jimmy,” “Run Your Mouth” and “The Yearn” were the first. Based on these we felt it would be interesting for us to work with someone else instead of Billy, who definitely makes the most incredible heavy recordings.

I love Emma Ruth Rundle, I had JUST heard her latest and most beautiful (Engine of Hell) record that I thought sounded INSANE. It is so delicate, beautiful and raw. Just her singing and playing. It sounds like you are sat next to her. I immediately googled the producer, and to my excitement, he’d worked on pretty much all of her other records. Marked for Death and On Dark Horses are both amazing, dynamic band performances. Once I read that he had also worked with Lord Huron (another love of mine), Portugal the Man and Diiv, we knew that he would bring an eclectic influence that would help us go where we thought we were headed. I had it in my head that the aim for this record was to make ‘our Kid A’. I used this analogy a lot. Luckily, Sonny is as big a Radiohead nerd as I am. Needless to say we hit it off.

To get into the songs, you start the record with “Jimmy.”

First off (as mentioned last we spoke), this started as a Susie rap. She sent me a trap beat that was a generic Logic loop and that she recorded “Jimmy rise Jimmy rise, from the basement” over. It sounded wild, but I loved the melody and lyrics, they felt fresh for Brume. We pushed the tempo much slower than she originally sent, a more laid back approach. The minimal guitar part made way for the bass to drive the song and the cello to take center stage next to the vocals. The drums have this odd-timed, really interesting rhythm that is really considerate of the vocals, Jordan plays with a lot of restraint on this. Overall there’s definitely a whole bunch of Emma Ruth Rundle influence to this track, but also some Tinariwen / West African guitar (solo/lead part) as well as our first Fleetwood Mac moment, the a capella.

This song originally never had the big ending. We had this idea to make it feel so laid back it kinda never went anywhere, just chillin’. Sonny pushed for it and now I love it. Susie’s vocal performance at the end there is another level. She’s a fucking badass. The big end also gave us the opportunity to take it back down, me and Jackie doing ‘swirlies’ is our happy place. We get to harmonize a bunch and just make pretty, sad-sounding music. It makes me happy.

“New Sadder You”

This song was a jam from Rabbits that never made it. It came into the fold kinda late in the game for Marten. I brought it back because I always liked how odd it was, it just didn’t click before. The big ‘aha!’ moment when it clicked was when the cello took over bass duties in the verses. I envisioned the sound of the flamingos, a doo wop vibe to the guitar.

Susie had this melody / line I was obsessed with: “that’s who I was supposed to be” that sounded like Dusty Springfield or Nancy Sinatra to me. I thought it would be cool to bring in that ’50s/’60s thing that was happening. That and Radiohead “Nude.” The chorus we worked hard on in the studio, that hook being one of Sonny’s faves from the record. The band gets bigger and rockier to meet that epicness, then it gets intense and weird, Melvins meets Brutus. Jordan RIPS on this song. It’s fun to play live. He had all these cool pause ideas that totally add to it and the F-you ending is the cherry on top.

“Faux Savior”

This was Jackie’s first ‘Riff’ she brought to a Brume practice. I feel somewhat bad about this one ‘cos she clearly had this epic, evil doom melody that I heard and desperately wanted to turn it into an alt-country vibe. I heard Sharon Van Etten or Big Thief meets True Widow in the verse, then a spooky Portishead thing in the chorus. Thankfully Jackie got her doom part by the end/drop. Susie had this whole concept lyrically and pushed her vocals to be the most gospel, spoken word and low in her register — it’s real cool. Jackie’s backing vocals are so haunting and beautiful and Jordan even joined us as the fourth vocalist on the ‘Faux Savior’ chants.

“Otto’s Song”

Very personal song for me. Guitar part came from just days after my son was born. It’s like the most Nick Drake thing I could write. He was almost called ‘Thula’ (if he was a girl). This was after a Zulu lullaby my wife grew up singing as a child (she’s from South Africa). Once the idea came to use the lyrics from that poem, I thought it would be cool to do a Ladysmith Black Mambazo, three-part vocal thing. These are prominent throughout but most prevalent at the end. The drums and the bass coming in heavy was an idea based on the song “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire, and then towards the end heavy part a moment of Pumpkins/Weezer. As I type, I realize how very bizarre this song is.

“How Rude”

This originally came from listening to a King Woman song. Sprinkle in plenty of Radiohead/In Rainbows, throw in an epic Yob ending and it probably makes a lot of sense. Ha, SIMPLE!

“Heed Me”

Susie had these amazing lyrics and vocal melody. We toyed with a few ideas but nothing ever quite fit, including drums and guitar. Susie had this idea of making a Fever Ray or Björk-type song, she wanted to get weird and we encouraged her.

Jackie came with this awesome looped cello sound that is the backing track, the rest is Susie and Lorie Sue locked in this intense conversation. Me and Jordan didn’t know what Susie had planned with Lorie on this when she turned up to the studio. We got into it real quick. I think folks should expect more experimentation like this from Brume in the future. I feel like we just scratched the surface of where this could go for us.

“Run Your Mouth”

I picked Susie up on way to practice one day and we listened to Mogwai’s “Helps Both Ways.” We did not talk, just sat and drove. It is so beautiful, my favorite song of theirs. Fast forward a few months, Sonny suggested slowing “Run Your Mouth” down even more than it was, and I utterly fell in love. This is my favorite song on the album, hands down. It’s so raw, so beautiful, so gentle. Everything I wanted to reach on Marten. Originally intended for a collab track with Mark Lanegan before his passing. This was a true homage to Portishead when it began. Mogwai (and Sonny) guided us to the finished piece.

“The Yearn”

Susie had a real Dolly Parton thing going on this song, I was listening to a lot of Angel Olsen and she and Sonny encouraged me to play a bunch of slide guitar. I was in blues rock band for a while back in London (shoutout Rowse), so this felt like a real blast for me. We had also both been obsessed with Arooj Aftab’s record Vulture Prince. Go smoke a joint right now and listen to that album ‘cos it’s life changing. She’s a Pakistani/American singer that creates the most calm, dreamlike music. Her vocals are so utterly haunting and beautiful — it really influenced the overall vibe of this one. Jordan recorded with a tiny jazz kit to get the sound on this and “Run Your Mouth.” Sonny had a Beck / Seachange idea and I think it really paid off and really set the tone for these tracks.

The outro is 100 percent inspired by the best Guns ‘n’ Roses solo, “Nightrain.” Just as Slash is about to let rip, the track fades. His bent at the end is so good. I can’t play guitar solos, so this was my nod.

How long did it take for the running order to come together and what was that process like?

Susie has always been great at developing ‘flows’ for setlists. She has a strong sense of the journey she wants to take people on and she applied that here. There were a few shuffles here and there, but the arc was pretty mapped out.

Anything else you want to mention about the record as a whole, or anything else for that matter?

Sonny said to me halfway through recording that while I thought I was making Brume’s Kid A, we were in fact making our OK Computer. This made me both sad, and completely excited.

I can’t wait to make more music and see where Brume go from here.

Arooj Aftab, “Baghon Main”

Brume, Marten (2024)

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Albums like Marten happen neither every year nor for every band. For Brume, it is their third full-length behind 2019’s Billy Anderson-produced Rabbits (review here) and 2017’s Rooster (review here), their second release through Magnetic Eye Records, and their first outing since the three-piece of vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Susie McMullan, guitarist/vocalist Jamie McCathie (ex-Gurt) and drummer Jordan Perkins Lewis welcomed cellist/vocalist Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon, Giant Squid, Amber Asylum, etc.) to an expanded lineup. Gratz had appeared on Rabbits as well, doing a cello guest spot (as will happen) for that record’s centerpiece, “Blue Jay,” which was both shorter than everything that surrounded it, but able to breathe in its own way with the melodic textures of its arrangement, also including keys and harmonized vocals.

It’s not impossible to read “Blue Jay” as the model Brume are following on Marten, which takes its name from the small, weasel-ish animal taxidermied on the fancy chair of its cover, and which finds the band working with producer Sonny DiPerri (Mizmor, Emma Ruth Rundle, Lord Huron, etc.) and directed in sound more toward atmosphere and breadth than directness of impact, though there’s plenty of that too. Fluid in its storytelling lyric, opening track “Jimmy” unfolds mournfully with soft guitar and cello at its start before the bass and drums join, McMullan immediately putting the listener in the narrative’s place, time and mental state with the lines, “Jimmy rise from the basement/Jimmy rise from the grave,” at the start of the first verse while Lewis slowly cycles through tom thuds and punctuating snare, giving some hint of the sweeping chorus to come, McCathie and Gratz joining on vocals as the corresponding wall of tone and crash-laden roll takes hold, “You raise your glass to freedom/You raise your glass to family/Now you’re fast, too fast, to leave us/My wrath will not be well contained.”

This all takes place before the first three minutes of the first song on a 48-minute eight-tracker LP are done, and not one second of what follows is less graceful or purposeful in its delivery, arrangement and performance, less cognizant of mood, or dynamic. Marten in some ways redefines the course of Brume‘s growth as it builds on what the band has accomplished up to now, but there’s also an engagement with pop in the lyrical voices throughout “New Sadder You,” “Faux Savior” and “How Rude,” taking on subjects like grief, joining a cult and the climate crisis, respectively, in language that feels pointedly not-inflated, conversational and modern. Where another given outfit might get lost in grandiosity, particularly to accompany the melancholic drift of later pieces like “Run Your Mouth” or “The Yearn,” which comprise the closing salvo, Brume resonate all the more for the humanity and specifically at times for the femininity of this perspective. And so the forlorn love poetry of “The Yearn” is presented not as quotes from Greek philosophy or whatever, but in clear, efficient and down-to-earth lines like, “Drowning here/Heart is for real.”

One might say the same of how “New Sadder You” is framed. The chorus, “I invite you to greet new sadder you/Because you take pain with you/With you till the end/When your memories are through/Mix joy and despair, anger fast on the move,” is a standout among songs that, while varied enough in structure and atmosphere to not all be about their choruses, have nonetheless been thoughtfully crafted, and as one of Marten‘s most soaring moments, the conversation is grounded and the same point of view that borders on sarcasm in “Faux Savior” as it namedrops a celebrity spiritual advisor and pines for “A proper fraud with fortitude and frost” — the alliteration’s burn in the direction of toxic YouTube-guru influencer masculinity — uses the melody to sweeten the threat on male ego fragility in “Run Your Mouth”: “Words won’t save you/I’ve got all night,” and gives Mother Earth the name Drucilla on “How Rude” as Laurie Sue Shanaman (Ludicra, Ails) adds raw-throated backing screams to the apex-bound build, feeling worlds away from three gentler-but-not-entirely-undoomed nod and bright three-part vocal harmonies of “Otto’s Song,” ending side A with a lullaby just a track prior.

Shanaman returns on the subsequent “Heed Me” as well, lending aural claw to the lines “Can you hear my memories?” and “What can you do for me?” at the ends of the last verses in harsh complement to the melody, but well positioned at the start of side B, which is on average less voluminous than “Jimmy,” “New Sadder You” or the gospel-spiritual plod of “Faux Savior” earlier, and enough of a surprise when they kick in with the first-stage surge of “How Rude” at 4:16 — the second stage hits at 4:44 with “We scream, the earth cracks” — that the listener has less of an idea of what’s coming as they move into “Heed Me,” “Run Your Mouth” and “The Yearn,” the last of which completes Marten on a flowing roll of crash and airy post-metallic lead guitar taking off from the last chorus, in which the cello plays rhythm the bass, gradually moving into its echoing fade. Not that one imagines throatrippers arising from that last gorgeous wash of tone and swaying motion, but you never know and shifting expectation is part of the point, along with emotive expression no less weighted than whichever of the most lumbering riffs you might want to set it beside.

And that heft of emotion extends to the ambience of pieces like “Run Your Mouth” or “New Sadder You” as well, whether it’s McMullan or McCathie doing lead vocals or trading as they do between the final verse and chorus of “New Sadder You,” Gratz lending her significant reach to the ending of “How Rude,” or the lush safe-space created in “Otto’s Song” even after the bass and drums join in to nudge it into a forward march. Across the span of Marten, Brume declare themselves as many things in terms of sound, most but not all of them leaning toward a darkness or somberness of mood, but they’re more assured than ever of who they are as a band working in new sonic dimensions of length, width, height and depth, and ‘The Yearn” indeed makes you believe the heart behind it all is for real. That’s an achievement in itself, but still only a fraction of what puts Marten so much on its own level, both for Brume and in whichever microgenre tag might ultimately fail to encapsulate their work here.

Brume, Marten (2024)

Brume, “How Rude” official video

Brume, “Jimmy” official video

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San Francisco’s Brume will release their new album, Marten, through Magnetic Eye Records on May 3. That’s less than a month away. The interview in the video below was conducted back in February, and the reason for that was basically that I heard the thing, got excited about it, and wanted to chat. I had asked bassist/vocalist Susie McMullan (also keys) for a lyric sheet, which she was gracious enough to supply, and reading through, I could see the genuine poetic voice behind a lot of the words; somewhat playful, sometimes sad and/or angry, but pervasively grounded in the actual language being used. Mother Earth, in condemning humanity’s destruction of the planet, calls it rude (that’s “How Rude,” for which they have a new video, also below). McMullan‘s threat “Do you mind if I step in?” is pointedly low-key in redirecting the conversation of “Run Your Mouth.” Just two among many other examples throughout the record.

Part of what makes it striking is that with so much nuance in the careful balance of the vocal arrangements between McMullan, guitarist Jamie McCathie, and cellist Jackie Perez Gratz (also Grayceon, ex-Giant Squid, etc.), the chamber-style presence of the strings amid instrumental dynamics crossing the span from minimalism to outright crush — Jordan Perkins-Lewis‘ drums steady at the foundation for either — you’d almost expect more pretense, more grandiosity. Instead, Marten — named for the kind of varmint on its cover, and maybe also a little bit some dude they met on tour in Europe — is casual from the outset. What could be less formal than the name “Jimmy?” However sweeping or consuming “New Sadder You” or “Faux Savior” get, and no matter who is actually delivering the lines in a given verse, that underlying point of view holds firm.

It is a record loaded with stories. There was a lot to talk about, and there probably still is. As regards the interview itself, I’ll tell you that I had had a day by the time McGathie, McMullan and I hopped on Zoom. I should’ve canceled. It’s not a question of performance or anything like that, but about 20 minutes before we started talking I was getting punched by my kid for I don’t even remember what, and I just kind of suck here. I had a hard time going back and watching it, to tell you the truth. I’d transcribe it (ha) if I ever had time, maybe edit the video, but that also feels a little less honest to the experience, and, well, everybody on the internet pretends they’re fucking perfect all the time and in the interest of down-to-earth, here’s me taking myself down a peg. I haven’t done a lot of video interviews in the last year-plus. I really wanted to talk to Brume. If I had it to do over, I would, but sometimes one part of life bleeds into another, and while I’m sure it’s worse to me than to someone else watching, I just kind of get sad looking at and hearing myself here.

So enjoy! Yeah, I know. I haven’t sold it well. Fair enough.

What I’ll tell you is that whether you actually dig into the interview clip or not — and Susie and Jamie had cool stuff to say, so don’t not watch it — listen to the music. “Jimmy,” “New Sadder You” and, as of yesterday, “How Rude” are available as singles. They don’t represent the gospel blues of “Faux Savior” or the emotive fluidity that closes Marten in “The Yearn,” but god damn, do they land heavy on any level you want to consider.

So one way or the other, yeah, do enjoy. Thanks for reading and watching if you do:

Brume, Marten Interview, Feb. 22, 2024

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Marten is out May 3 on Magnetic Eye Records. Preorders available here: http://lnk.spkr.media/brume-marten.

Brume, Marten (2024)

Brume, “How Rude” official video

Brume, “Jimmy” official video

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Magnetic Eye Records store

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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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Brume, “Jimmy” official video