“Oh desert rain, some things never change.”
Even this late into 2022, each album release has its story closely entwined with the pandemic. Brutus luckily managed to get US and EU tours in after their 2019 album released, immortalising one show on a live album, before 2020 “happened“. Forced downtime has its silver linings as the Belgium-based band has been working on Unison Life, which beckons their finest hour.
Brutus‘ sound can be summed up as the union of punk and post rock, exploiting the very best parts of both styles. The bass (Peter Mulders) and electric guitar (Stijn Vanhoegaerden) deliver immediate, crunchy, and bombastic riffs in songs that tend to spice up familiar pop structures. As required, the instruments become like Icarus, engaging a fuzzy delay-drone sound that elevates the group far beyond a three-piece. The production combines the guitar and bass carefully: in moments where they do different things, you can distinguish each taking its own path through the music, and when they work together it’s utterly crushing.
The vocals of (drummer!) Stefanie Mannaerts are a powerhouse, captivatingly ethereal whilst embracing gritty and raspy qualities. Every single track on Unison Life sees her explore this full range. These vocals are made further unique by embracing her unique Belgian and a light treatment of reverb. All this, and it’s delivered from behind the drumkit, which is played with utmost flair and ferocity. It’s not a competition, but Mannaerts wins.
Unison Life has already graced us with four strong singles. “Victoria” is immediately Brutus‘ catchiest song yet, at no expense to the intensity of the vocal performance. The whole song is addictive, particularly to the main melodies in the verses and choruses. Even its small details are fantastic: as the choruses exit into the verse or the bridge, there’s a mini-fill that transfers the groove so satisfyingly. The music video is worth mentioning as it pulls off being a high budget, live-action parody of lyric videos, and is beyond endearing as a result.
The next track “What Have We Done” is also an anthem, relatively slow in its first half, building toward its gliding finale with delay-before-distortion guitars. Of the other singles, “Liar” is the shortest, punkiest track on the record, and “Dust” is the longest, indulging in “wild west” chords, wind chimes, and fury. With most of the singles in the first half, the second side of the record emphasies more complex song structures on tracks like “Chainlife”, “Dreamlife”, and “Desert Rain”. Don’t mistake these for being B-sides, as not a moment on Unison Life is wasted, and in my view, these are the most significant tracks. “Chainlife” inverts the typical song structure by opening with big, droned-out guitar, plus hefty vocals delivering a somewhat-chorus. This is immediately turned on its head with a pummelingly heavy mid-section. The outro returns to the opening multiple vocal tracks that bounce around as if in a canyon, with angelic and heaviness entwined.
“Dreamlife” might have been another great choice for a single, with once again, so much energy behind Mannaerts‘ vocals, and particularly catchy guitar lines drenched in “post rock” power. “Storm” is placed between “Chainlife” and “Dreamlife”, brings back the big heart-wrenching choruses and could easily have been a strong single.
Closer “Desert Rain” is nearly seven minutes, confirming Brutus‘ penchant for juggernaut closing tracks like “Sugar Dragon” on Nest. This extra time is spent on a gradual introduction with tasteful wind chimes, and a more complex main-track structure with extensive blast beat verses. It goes without saying that the end is absolutely colossal, with lyrics in the outro that conclude the record by embracing life’s uncertainty: “Oh desert rain / some things never change / oh desert rain / some things stay the same“. This collapses into quieter vocals as the guitar decays.
Mannaerts explained her approach for Unison Life‘s songwriting as follows: “I wanted every song to feel like the last song we’ll ever write.” This explains a lot – the power behind the performances, desperate conclusions, impeccable production, and even the tight track list. Unison Life is very even in terms of song quality, thus it’s no surprise that it’s also their shortest record. I’ve come to adore its pacing, with certain transitions like “Liar” into “Chainlife” working perfectly, and overture “Miles Away” complementing the melodic themes of the following track “Brave“. Repeated listens left me elated. I’m very excited to see where this Unison Life takes Brutus.
10/10
Unison Life is out this Friday via Hassle Records and you can pre-order the record here.