Swedish post-rock trio BARRENS have released ‘The Derelict’, the fourth single from their forthcoming album Corpse Lights, out on 12th September via Pelagic Records.

Stream here: https://orcd.co/barrens

Corpse Lights is the name given to the folk belief that small coloured lights often appear near the home of someone about to die, leading them along the path to their eventual resting place. Often considered to be evidence of the soul leaving the body, the concept of corpse lights embodies BARRENS’ approach to creating music as a cathartic release; not just because they want to, but because they have to. Their writing process is one of joy, light, and release as much as it is dark, heavy, and tense.

Five years in the making, Corpse Lights sees BARRENS strike a breathtaking balance between light and dark; beauty and brutality; the calm and the chaos as the three fast friends refine their formidable command of composition and dynamic even further.

One listen to BARRENS and the revelation that Markku Hildén, Johan G. Winther and Kenta Jansson had already been playing and touring together before forming the band suddenly makes sense. In 2018 Markku joined Scraps of Tape, Johan and Kenta’s other project, as a live drummer for two tours of Europe and a tour of China. Recognising an immediate chemistry, the outlines for what would become BARRENS were sketched out in countless vans, trains, planes and bars as they travelled together across the world.

Back home, the trio wasted no time and quickly turned their collection of notes and motifs into demos; drawing unique inspiration from the experiences they shared as well as exploring new and unknown territories. The result was debut album Penumbra, a dense, elegant and passionate collection of instrumental, synth-driven post rock pieces that sounded in no way like the debut album from a brand new band. 

Corpse Lights, BARRENS’ sophomore album, is somehow deeper, richer and headier; imbued with an alluring compositional patience that serves as unspoken testament to the combined creativity of the trio in their element, as something so much greater than the sum of its parts. Recorded and produced by Kristofer Jönson, who also helmed Penumbra, and mixed and mastered once again by Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg, shimmering synthesizers and sprawling guitars lead the charge propelled by exhilarating drums and percussion but Corpse Lights also finds BARRENS using space, silence and atmosphere as another instrument if not as another band member entirely.

‘Corpse Lights’ is the name given to the folk belief that small coloured lights often appear near the home of someone about to die, leading them along the path to their eventual resting place. Often considered to be evidence of the soul leaving the body, the concept of corpse lights embodies BARRENS’ approach to creating music as a cathartic release; not just writing music because they want to but because they have to. Their writing process is one of joy, light and release as much as it is dark, heavy and tense.

In their time, BARRENS have supported the legendary Mogwai, God Is An Astronaut, signed with the famed Pelagic Records and opening ArcTanGent‘s main stage for the 2023 edition.

Corpse Lights tracklisting:

1. Memory Eraser
2. The Derelict
3. Sorrowed
4. Periastron
5. Apastron
6. No Light
7. Collapsar
8. Remnants
9. A Nothing Expands

BARRENS are:

Johan G. Winther (Guitar, Synths)
Markku Hildén (Drums, Percussion)
Kenta Jansson (Bass, Synths)

For more: 

https://www.instagram.com/barrens_official
https://www.facebook.com/BARRENStheband
https://pelagic-records.com/artist/barrens

Swedish post-rock trio BARRENS have released ‘A Nothing Expands’, the third single from their forthcoming album Corpse Lights, out on 12th September via Pelagic Records.

Corpse Lights is the name given to the folk belief that small coloured lights often appear near the home of someone about to die, leading them along the path to their eventual resting place. Often considered to be evidence of the soul leaving the body, the concept of corpse lights embodies BARRENS’ approach to creating music as a cathartic release; not just because they want to, but because they have to. Their writing process is one of joy, light, and release as much as it is dark, heavy, and tense.

Listen and pre-order here: https://orcd.co/barrens

Five years in the making, Corpse Lights sees BARRENS strike a breathtaking balance between light and dark, beauty and brutality, calm and chaos as these three friends refine their formidable command of compositional dynamics.

One listen to BARRENS and the revelation that Markku Hildén, Johan G. Winther, and Kenta Jansson had already been playing and touring together before forming the band suddenly makes sense. In 2018, Markku joined Scraps of Tape, Johan and Kenta’s other project, as a live drummer for tours in Europe and China. Recognising an immediate chemistry, the outlines for what would become BARRENS were sketched out in countless vans, trains, planes, and bars as they travelled together across the world.

Back home, the trio wasted no time and quickly turned their collection of notes and motifs into demos, drawing unique inspiration from the experiences they shared, as well as exploring uncharted territories. The result was their first album, Penumbra (2020), a dense and elegant collection of instrumental, synth-driven post-rock pieces brimming with passion and maturity.

Recorded and produced by Kristofer Jönson, who also helmed Penumbra, and mixed and mastered once again by Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg, Corpse Lights features shimmering synthesizers and sprawling guitars propelled by exhilarating drums and percussion. In addition, BARRENS use space, silence, and atmosphere on these new songs as another instrument, if not another band member entirely.

In their time, BARRENS have supported the legendary Mogwai, God Is An Astronaut, signed with the famed Pelagic Records, and opened ArcTanGent‘s main stage for the 2023 edition.

Corpse Lights tracklist:

1. Memory Eraser
2. The Derelict
3. Sorrowed
4. Periastron
5. Apastron
6. No Light
7. Collapsar
8. Remnants
9. A Nothing Expands

Line-up:

Johan G. Winther – Guitar, Synths
Markku Hildén – Drums, Percussion
Kenta Jansson – Bass, Synths

For more BARRENS: 
INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – PELAGIC ARTIST PAGE

Dark post-rock trio BARRENS have announced their forthcoming new album, Corpse Lights, due 12th September via Pelagic Records.

In celebration of the news, the band have unveiled their second single from the record, ‘Sorrowed’.

Stream here: https://orcd.co/barrens

The band comment: “Amongst other things, ‘Sorrowed’ is about dealing with grief, failure and personal demons. The inner and outer chaos of interacting with both yourself and others, and about fighting the impulse to take the easy way out. To not run away and hide but instead deal with it, and to channel these things into something creative and positive.”

Five years in the making, Corpse Lights sees BARRENS strike a breathtaking balance between light and dark; beauty and brutality; the calm and the chaos as the three fast friends refine their formidable command of composition and dynamic even further.

One listen to BARRENS and the revelation that Markku Hildén, Johan G. Winther and Kenta Jansson had already been playing and touring together before forming the band suddenly makes sense. In 2018 Markku joined Scraps of Tape, Johan and Kenta’s other project, as a live drummer for two tours of Europe and a tour of China. Recognising an immediate chemistry, the outlines for what would become BARRENS were sketched out in countless vans, trains, planes and bars as they travelled together across the world.

Back home, the trio wasted no time and quickly turned their collection of notes and motifs into demos; drawing unique inspiration from the experiences they shared as well as exploring new and unknown territories. The result was debut album Penumbra, a dense, elegant and passionate collection of instrumental, synth-driven post rock pieces that sounded in no way like the debut album from a brand new band. 

Corpse Lights, BARRENS’ sophomore album, is somehow deeper, richer and headier; imbued with an alluring compositional patience that serves as unspoken testament to the combined creativity of the trio in their element, as something so much greater than the sum of its parts. Recorded and produced by Kristofer Jönson, who also helmed Penumbra, and mixed and mastered once again by Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg, shimmering synthesizers and sprawling guitars lead the charge propelled by exhilarating drums and percussion but Corpse Lights also finds BARRENS using space, silence and atmosphere as another instrument if not as another band member entirely.

‘Corpse Lights’ is the name given to the folk belief that small coloured lights often appear near the home of someone about to die, leading them along the path to their eventual resting place. Often considered to be evidence of the soul leaving the body, the concept of corpse lights embodies BARRENS’ approach to creating music as a cathartic release; not just writing music because they want to but because they have to. Their writing process is one of joy, light and release as much as it is dark, heavy and tense.

Corpse Lights tracklisting:

1. Memory Eraser
2. The Derelict
3. Sorrowed
4. Periastron
5. Apastron
6. No Light
7. Collapsar
8. Remnants
9. A Nothing Expands

In their time, BARRENS have supported the legendary Mogwai, God Is An Astronaut, signed with the famed Pelagic Records and opening ArcTanGent‘s main stage for the 2023 edition.

BARRENS are:

Johan G. Winther (Guitar, Synths)
Markku Hildén (Drums, Percussion)
Kenta Jansson (Bass, Synths)

https://www.instagram.com/barrens_official
https://www.facebook.com/BARRENStheband
https://pelagic-records.com/artist/barrens

Dark post-rock trio BARRENS have today unveiled their stellar new single ‘Periastron’ via Pelagic Records.

Stream here: https://orcd.co/barrens

‘Periastron’ is an expansive, sweeping statement from the trio. A gently persistent synth underpins the majestic, otherworldly melody, leading to a beautifully grandiose climax. The band comment: “‘Periastron’ concludes the A-side of corpse lights, at the point closest to the burning core of the album, before falling away again. 

“The track went through several different versions before finding its current form, but ended up “sui generis” and became the perfect first part of the albums midpoint, as well as serving as one of its strongest pieces concerning one of the albums central themes; relationships. 

“The video for the track was created by Grammy-nominated video artist Linus Johansson from the creative collective Try New Things, who took the artwork made for the single (by band member Johan G Winther) and used it as a starting point to build a brilliant, haunting, immersive, otherworldly experience through the red thread of the track titles and themes of the album.” 

BARRENS are a highly-regarded group from Gothenburg, Sweden, and feature two members of Scraps Of Tape, veterans of the scene who’ve been touring for over twenty years.

BARRENS have developed their own idiosyncratic sound since their stunning debut album Penumbra (2020): as driven by synths as by guitars, Penumbra oscillates between the dark and the brighter side of post-rock, but leaning more towards the dark. The album conceptually circles around themes of change, metamorphosis and transformation, “especially movement into, through and out of shadows and back again”, as guitarist Johan G Winther explains. “Being both lost in darkness, yet finding comfort there. Seeking it. Afloat in blinding light, suspended in darkness” – the message etched on the album vinyl.

BARRENS were already touring together before they were even a band. In 2018, Markku Hildén joined Scraps of Tape, Johan and bassist Kenta’s other band, as a live drummer for two tours of Europe and a tour of China. “Finding an immediate chemistry between us both playing and hanging out, we quickly realised we had very similar ideas regarding music and creating art together. So the outlines for what BARRENS would become were sketched out back then in vans, trains, planes and over post-show beers at local bars”, comments Kenta Jansson.

Once back home, the newly formed band started writing demos, drawing inspiration from new sources and venturing through both well known and unknown territories. In the summer of 2019, Penumbra was recorded in Uppsala and Gothenburg and produced by the band, and mixed and mastered by Cult of Luna‘s Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios in Stockholm.

Since then, BARRENS have gone from strength to strength. In the intervening time the trio have supported the legendary Mogwai, God Is An Astronaut, signed with the famed Pelagic Records and opening ArcTanGent‘s main stage for the 2023 edition.

https://www.instagram.com/barrens_official
https://www.facebook.com/BARRENStheband
https://pelagic-records.com/artist/barrens