Washington, D.C.-based instrumental group Requiem has announced their upcoming album, POPulist Agendas, set for release on August 11th via Mutineer Records. Drawing inspiration from post-rock giants such as Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Bowery Electric, Requiem’s sound is characterized by immersive soundscapes, deep synthetic bass, and dynamic percussion.
In anticipation of the album’s release, the band has unveiled the heavy, yet ethereal single and video, “Tired, Hot and Bothered“. Watch below and explore our exclusive photo gallery, immerse yourself in the artful journey of Requiem’s creative process and prepare for the emotional voyage that awaits you with the release of their album POPulist Agendas on August 11th.
On POPulist Agendas, Requiem combines their experimental sonic instincts with an intense emotional release.
The core members – veteran musician and multimedia artist Doug Kallmeyer, visual artist Monica Stroik, and guitarist/soundscape designer/conceptualist Tristan Welch – found each other during the tumultuous pandemic summer of 2020.
They were motivated by a desire to create a new artistic outlet in the midst of unstable times. Tristan, who started as a punk kid listening to bands like Rancid, later became known for his acclaimed ambient/drone releases. Doug, an experienced audio engineer and music enthusiast, spent decades on the road managing sound for renowned acts like Blonde Redhead and Phantogram. The two met through the D.C. underground music scene, while Monica and Doug were running their label, Verses Records. All three members felt like perennial outsiders.
The album’s aesthetic bridges the gap between pop sensibilities, instrumental post-rock, ambient, and electronic rhythms. The lead single, “Tired, Hot and Bothered,” showcases the full emotional range of Requiem’s work. It features a slow-building ambient section that gradually crescendos into a cathartic peak, accentuated by treated drums.
We are not this body, we are not this mind. We are in the continuum, we are as one; the spirit, or in the soul.
Requiem does not believe in ego nor do they have an urge for celebrity. Dressed in white and faces covered, to absorb and reflect- not for fear but for the practice of no self. No self, no mind.
Decadent in innocence; Requiem displays the challenges of sacristy. No selves falling for lower case (l)ove. For big (L)ove is only reserved for that which we fail to understand. For the semblance of the lead track on POPulist Agendas, the first single – Tired, Hot and Bothered– captures the emotion, the despair of the seeking, the suffering of desire and pleasure. Celibate masturbation for the sake of morality, or sexual freedom as a spiritual experience? Are we ensnared in the material world? Can we truly care? Requiem believes we can struggle together, instead of alone.
Qigong. Can we move without a purpose other than being? Can we move without the pain of existence? Can we breathe in black and white? Can we bring peace without battle? Externally but certainly not internally. The inside, gatefold cover art for Requiems new LP displays the challenge between sitting still and craving movement. As in the Bodhidharma, we must explore our bodies to engage the mind, which is our only real existence.
Heroes are spirit souls. We must love them like our enemies. Never prostrate to a hero. Be a contrast to influence. Be not our bodies nor our minds – just be. Intoxicants – some lead to cults, some lead to celebrity but do not these movements, reflect a form of art? Art can be material and sold – but in turn holds a formation in the heart. Like David Bowie, we may have names but feel and can mean so much more.
Performance. Strategy. Action. Nature. As one we are not superior; we are together. Creation. Blessing. Preservation. Destruction. These subtle bodies are not ours; we can use the gift for something greater. All movements are in service. All service is in sound.
Let the light shine for us, for we are just the messengers of peace. We fail – religiously.
