Toronto-based collective, Respire, have just dropped their latest single, “The Sun Sets Without Us,” along with a music video. It is the third track to be taken from their upcoming new album, Hiraeth, arriving July 26th, on limited-edition vinyl and digital formats, via Dine Alone Records. Catch the new video and more below.
Pre-order Hiraeth here: https://www.dinealonestore.com/collections/respire
“The Sun Sets Without Us” covers plenty of stylistic ground – featuring arpeggiated melodies countered by driving horns, an ode to sassy art punk, a captivating, accelerating buildup with haunting gang vocals punctuated by raw screams, and a crushing climax,” Respire share. “The song is about our precarious position as immigrants, and a warning that those who come after us now will come after you next.”
On the accompanying video, the band says: “Things are not well in this world, and fake smiles can only hide so much. The news is bad – strikes, riots, wars, famine, inflation, corruption – and continues unabated. In the video you see the constant cycle of crisis we’ve become accustomed to… the smiles fade away, and the news anchors lose their composure, growing increasingly desperate.”
The immigrant experience is the driving theme behind Hiraeth, with “Keening” also tackling the subject by focusing on ex-pats finding a sense of community through music. Upon the album announcement, Respire released the “Distant Light of Belonging” and an accompanying video featuring candid footage of the band that spans their time together. Crafted over four years through a continuous exchange of demos and sheet music, Respire spent six months producing Hiraeth, with the invaluable contributions of recording engineer Sean Pearson and mixing and mastering engineer Jack Shirley, and numerous collaborators.
Hiraeth tracklisting:
01 Keening
02 The Match, Consumed
03 Distant Light of Belonging
04 First Snow
05 Home of Ash
06 Voiceless; Nameless
07 The Sun Sets Without Us
08 We Grow Like Trees in Rooms of Borrowed Light
09 Do the Birds Still Sing?
10 Farewell (In Standard)
Respire has simultaneously announced their first North American tour in support of the 10-song album, with the September dates on-sale now.
Respire tour dates:
August 1 Toronto, ON The Royal Theatre
September 12 New Brunswick, NJ TBA
September 13 New York, NY Gold Sounds
September 14 Richmond, VA Dark Days, Bright Nights Festival
September 16 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Roboto Project
September 17 Cleveland, OH The Winchester Music Tavern
September 18 Columbus, OH Dirty Dungarees
September 19 Indianapolis, IN Healer
September 20 Chicago, IL Reggie’s Music Joint
September 21 Detroit, MI TBA
September 22 Toronto, ON St. Stephen-In-The-Fields Church
Respire has been a pioneering force in the Canadian underground scene for ten years, building a cult-like following over their three critically acclaimed LPs: Black Line (2020), Dénouement (2018), and Gravity and Grace (2016). The seven-piece band pushes the boundaries of heavy music, intertwining intricate, uplifting orchestral arrangements with the intensity and urgency of emotional hardcore and the desperation of black metal.
Lineup:
Egin Kongoli – Vocals/guitar/synthesizer
Rohan Lilauwala – Vocals/guitar
Darren Scarfo – Vocals/guitar
Travis Dupuis – Vocals/drums
Ben Oliver – Bass guitar
Eslin McKay – Vocals/violin/viola
Emmett O’Reilly – Vocals/trumpet
Follow Respire:
https://respirefamily.com/
https://respirefamily.bandcamp.com/album/hiraeth
https://www.instagram.com/respirefamily/
https://www.facebook.com/respirefamily