Alternative duo, sace6, strike again with their debut album ‘brutalist’, out now via Sumerian Records. They continue to expand their monochromatic world with this body of work, further demonstrating that heavy and pop music can coexist. The ‘brutalist‘ world combines raw emotions with brutal breakdowns, creating an unconventional dichotomy that flows beautifully throughout the record. This is aided by next-level production from Noah Thomas which introduces more electronic elements. Sace6 continuously show throughout this record that they know exactly how to translate an emotion into a sonic masterpiece.
The track list, curated by Noah, appears to follow a storyline from being foolishly infatuated (‘besotted’) with someone to a loss of trust (‘perfidy’) and eventual painful fallout (‘dolorous’). In this way, the album appears similar to their EP ‘limerence’. However, they have branched out with this record, combining more electronic elements with their signature breakdowns. Their love for Tate McRae can be heard throughout as each song has subtle undertones, reminiscent of her music.
What I particularly enjoyed about ‘brutalist’ is how each song is completely different sonically, yet they all tie together cohesively. Whether that is through the use of repetitive synth beats, their signature guitar tones or the use of small instrumental intros and outros that maintain the flow.
No details were spared when it came to creating this album, the enchanting intros and outros keep the listener trapped in their sonic world while the continued lack of colour in this universe, forces them to hear and feel the music without any distractions.
This captivating eleven-song album was formed around their latest single ‘reverie’ featuring jxdn. Once again they managed to blend each of their distinctive sounds together perfectly as they previously did on ‘velvet’, yet in a completely different way. Sace‘s idyllic vocals shine through once again before jxdn‘s vocals join his, creating an incredible harmony. As the song progresses, they continue to harmonise while Noah‘s screams are delicately layered underneath their vocals acting as a supporting instrument instead of the main focus. It really adds to the song and the incredible production ensures you can differentiate between all three of their voices and the mimicking guitar at the same time so you can appreciate the intricacies that went into making this single.
This single sets the tone for the beginning of the album which focuses more on the sentiment of being foolishly drawn to a person as well as showcasing their newly elevated RnB/metal sound and Sace‘s vocals primarily.
In order to keep this review short, I am going to skip over the rest of the singles that have been previewed on recent tours with nothing, nowhere and Don Broco, and jump straight to the second half of the album which I find the most interesting!
The second half of ‘brutalist’ takes a turn, bringing Noah‘s vocals back to the forefront and covering topics of deceit, jealousy and pain as well as making the heavy breakdowns more prominent while bringing in more sonic elements from influences such as the Pussycat Dolls.
‘Dolorous’ starts with a synth intro which sounds similar to an MRI machine which then fades into the background before reappearing at the end. The repetitive synth provides a feeling of numbness throughout which comes and goes in waves and different intensities, while Sace‘s vocals and the piano convey the sadness and grief even further. ‘Nobody wake me from this bad dream, even if I’m asking’ is a key lyric repeated throughout, often supported by whistle notes in the background which push that dolorous sentiment even further and creates the perfect lead into the next song ‘nepenthe’.
Nepenthe — a mythical ancient greek potion or drug used to induce forgetfulness of pain, sorrow or grief
‘Nepenthe’ was an immediate stand out when I first listened to the album. It starts with an acoustic scream from Noah, similar to the beginning of ‘said and done’. Before his scream blends straight into a Pussycat Dolls inspired instrumental. The spellbinding production supports the simple back and forth of ‘can’t deny that I wanted to, put myself under you, give me something to forget’ as they alternate between clean screams and entrancing vocals.
Fabulist — A person who tells tall tales or invents elaborate, false stories
‘Fabulist’ is the heaviest track on ‘brutalist’, featuring only Noah. It has an eery intro which then repeats as a guitar riff throughout, while complementary screams are layered throughout. The level of frustration can be felt through the intensity of the melody and the lyrics about ‘fabricating his life’. I am certain that this song will go hard during live shows with the intense kick drum and spacious production increasing the energy even more.
The final song ‘perfidy’ feels like a continuation of ‘limerence’, moving from ‘my body means nothing with your hands off it’ to ‘do I get that piece of myself back?’. The parallels between the guitar crashing in and the more stripped back verses with string arrangements creates a charged atmosphere, softened by the distorting effect on some of Sace‘s vocals that melt into the piano notes.
At first I was confused about the album title ‘brutalist‘ because I wasn’t sure how the music would relate to architecture. However, now having listened to the album in full, sace6 have demonstrated just how versatile they are when it comes to creating music. A key component of brutalist architecture is using modular repetitions and arranging and combining them in different ways for flexibility. ‘Brutalist‘ also does this by combining pop, RnB and metal with other influences while maintaining key components such as their signature guitar tones and electronic production elements throughout, but in different arrangements to keep it fresh and cohesive. Each track melds these key components differently creating different textures throughout their monochromatic world and with the spacious production that flits from ear to ear, I am sure that this album will be a source of escapism for many.
All info for upcoming tours can be found here
- Current tour: with Dayseeker, Northlane and Wind Walkers in the US
- Upcoming tours:
- First headline tour – US, UK & EU
- US tour with Chiodos, 156Silence and Calva Louise
- Festivals: All Warped Tour dates & Louder Than Life