It's been six years since Norwegian brothers Christian and Fredrik Wallumrød launched „Reveal And Rise“, the sophomore studio album release of their shared collaboration project named Brutter. The project was initially introduced to the world with their self-titled debut in 2015.
Embarking on a journey to shape a new musical language and identity beyond any musical measure, the two artists took a deep dive into the unknown with the aforemention album, unearthing a foundation of dry mechanical rhythm signatures, echoes of Illbient, hyperabstract jazz references, and influences of Industrial Electronics.
Regarding their regular field of work, this sonic approach can be described as a conscious venture and adventure into uncharted territory. Presenting abstractions on a blank canvas with no restrictions or formal regulations at play.
Now, more than 2000 days and one pandemic later, Brutter are back with „Outta“. A nearly 40 minutes spanning album cooked up and conceived by The Brothers Wallumrød under their conjunctional alias, and it seems like not only the world outside but also the world inside the project‘s sonic universe has changed and shifted.
Yet here they are: the occasional echoes of the harsh, abstract and unexpected, the glitches and the somehow decaying, tempo shifting rhythm signatures. Falling apart, meandering and re-emerging, albeit embedded in an all organic, warming and comforting cloud of, occasionally brooding, PostRock and Indietronica. And most importantly: Dub and Dub-informed production techniques.
A feel of danger and urgency lurks in the misty twilight of sparse and abstract textures, unfolding atop aforementioned Illbient quasi- and poly-rhythms. Gaps and blank spaces are filled with unstable echoes and spatial reverbs, short glimpses of atmospheric pads and the duos signature auto harp and lap steel interventions.
A soundscape that's minimalist and moody, yet well recognizably at the brink of a sonic collapse, with reverb tails fading out or being deliberately cut off at some point, following a uniquely Brutter sonic flow and vision into vast subsurface vaults, and the deepest and darkest crevasses to be formed by cataclysms yet to come.
This being said, and despite all the inherent darkness and tension within, „Outta“ is a way more accessible, less abstract and probably even a hopeful album in comparison to its predecessor. A strangely comforting late night affair for deep thinking creatures of the night – and those not afraid of the abyss staring back when staring into the vantablack and bottomless voids of their innermost soul.
credits
released September 22, 2023
Christian Wallumrød - drum machines, synth, electronics, auto harp
Fredrik Wallumrød - drums, drum synths, electronics, lap steel
All music by Brutter
Dance un-dance, Melodour, Straight, Inta Succulence, Meet me at the Chicken Bowl and Nachtstück recorded at Klokkereint by Sven Andréen. Twin Outta recorded at Flerbruket by Fredrik Wallumrød
Mixed by Bård Ingebrigtsen
Mastered.by.Espen Høydalsvik at OSLO:Fuzz
Cover design by Rutger Zuydervelt
Brutter. Outta, is out on SusannaSonata! Vinyl and CD is available at this link:
bit.ly/BrutterOuttaSusannaSonata
Brutter is a dive into avantgarde beat music. Arrhythmics for a bumpy bleak dance floor, focussing on diverging pulses and patterns, using drums, drum machines and electronics. Brutter, formed in 2012, already released Brutter (2015) and Reveal and Rise (2017) on Hubro Music...more
The piano on this album is, at one and the same time, both sparse and full meaning. Every pause is perfectly timed. Every phrase reveals something new which welcomes the listener into the music. brispete
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