Today, post-rock band FAIRWEATHER have released their new EP, Deluge, through Equal Vision Records. Recorded at guitarist Ben Green’s Washington D.C. studio, Ivakota, and partially at vocalist Jay Littleton’s studio in Houston, Deluge is Fairweather’s first new music since their self-titled album in 2014.
The four songs sprawl with lush arrangements and a melodic tension that push from the boundaries of their lengthy album catalog. Rounding out the band’s lineup is guitarists Peter Tsouras and Ben Murphy, drummer Shane Johnson, and bassist Nick Barkley. The songwriting process for the EP was extremely collaborative, exchanging lyrics and chords to create a beautiful twenty-minutes of music.
The band has also shared a short film for the track “No Safe Corners.” The stunning black-and-white video was made in collaboration with visual artists Raul Zahir De Leon, Jonathan Howard, and Marissa Long to interpret the lyrics of the song. Sonically, the track revolves around a strange and dissonant guitar lead that leans on a sense of lingering with no real end. Thematically that is the panic of not feeling safe or able to find shelter or solace.
On the emotional story behind writing “No Safe Corners”, Tsouras explains: “My mother died a year ago this week after battling dementia for over a decade. In the beginning, she was constantly fighting. She would struggle to hold onto any part of herself that was familiar, while at the same time being confronted with something that was unfamiliar and terrifying. She thought if she could just try harder and pretend nothing was happening, then it would go away. But in her case, it wasn’t self preservation. What she was really trying to hold onto was the weight she carried for the rest of us, and was afraid she couldn’t protect us anymore if this overcame her, or that we wouldn’t trust her if we found out she couldn’t keep up. She didn’t want to let go of our burdens she carried for us.
The lyrics are a conversation. They are what I imagine her to be saying to herself in those early days of the disease. This is a time when she still had some sense of control and autonomy but could tell things were changing. It’s the idea that you know something is wrong, but you can’t tell what it is and you’re terrified you’ll be letting everyone down if they find out. Nothing is familiar. No safe corners.”
Deluge is available now for purchase through Equal Vision Records.
