Grails, the audacious instrumental band known for their genre-defying explorations, has emerged from a half-decade hiatus with a captivating new record. “Anches En Maat,” the band’s first full-length release since the highly acclaimed “Chalice Hymnal” in 2017, is also their first studio collaboration in over a decade since the seminal “Doomsdayer’s Holiday” in 2008.
A departure from their previous sprawling double-albums, “Anches En Maat” is a return to the streamlined single LP format. Yet, it is anything but a reduction in Grails’ creative ambition. The group endeavored to craft the same sonically dense experience that longer albums allowed, but with a newfound focus on live collaborative interplay over individual indulgences.
Founding members Alex Hall and Emil Amos (Om, Holy Sons) joined forces with Jesse Bates, Ilyas Ahmed, and AE Paterra (Zombi, Majeure) in Atlanta, GA, to record the album, an unusual approach for a band who had grown accustomed to recording separately and laboring in post-production for months or even years.
“Anches En Maat” is one of Grails’ most ambitious albums of their 20+ year career.
An audacious blend of ’80s softcore, daytime soap opera soundtracks, cosmic minimalism, melancholic electronic pulses, soul-disco strings, and plaintive Westerns, “Anches En Maat” is a testament to Grails’ unwavering audacity. This genre-bending meander builds upon the band’s heritage of boldly interweaving disparate musical influences – from The Ventures to ‘Tibetan Crime-Jazz’ – under one audacious umbrella of sonic liberation.
Grails rose to fame with their fifth studio album, “Deep Politics,” released in 2011, which was hailed as a cult classic and marked their maturation into a unique sound. This trend continued with “Chalice Hymnal”, their most lush and expansive work yet. Now, “Anches En Maat” sees Grails sounding more like themselves than ever before, with an eerie patience in unfurling its many subtle layers.
This year, Grails embarks on a tour across Europe, bringing their intricate soundscapes to cities from Linz, AT to Warsaw, PL. This series of live performances will no doubt be an extension of the band’s unflagging exploration of new sonic frontiers and a testament to their musical restlessness.
In an age of predefined genres and overproduced records, Grails stands as a beacon of musical curiosity and audacious creativity.
With “Anches En Maat,” they continue to push boundaries, crafting rich aural landscapes that defy expectations and invite listeners into a world of their own making.
“Anches En Maat”, the forthcoming album by Grails, is set to be released under the Temporary Residence label on September 22, 2023.
