Montreal band Braids, recently announced their new album Euphoric Recall, will drop on April 28th via Secret City Records. Ahead of the Braids have shared their new single “Evolution.” Of the new song, singer/guitarist Raphaelle Standell-Preston stated, “Evolution in and of itself is a patient act. Our pursuit of the individual self, which comprises all realms of human emotion, is sweetened with the intention and act of patience from ourselves, from those that we love and those who love us.” Last year, Braids teased the forthcoming album with “Retriever”

“How you cultivate your heart space is extremely important to the outcome of what you are pursuing,” says Standell-Preston. “I think that when we are operating from a place of safety and feeling loved and have intentions of loving, we can access really interesting places.” As a lyricist, she draws generously from this heart space, often writing on the spot, in just a few takes. Lines are vivid, exhilarating, and evocative, a directness indicative of fully knowing oneself and engaging the moment. As songs emerged, the rhythms and textures became brighter and looser, brimming with life.

Written, recorded, self-produced, and mixed at Studio Toute Garnie, their Montréal studio, the music of Euphoric Recall is both unrushed and urgent, lush yet captured with in-the-room clarity. Austin Tufts brought a sharpened ear to sessions after producing records for Devon Welsh, Tess Roby, and others, sensing what songs needed from his drums, be it subtle balance or cathartic, jazz-inflected fills. Taylor Smith arrived from the depths of solo experiments and studio work, an ever-thorough multi-instrumentalist and sound designer with a renewed feel for fun and a move-forward mindset. Along with the album’s thematic sensuality, Standell-Preston carried the pulse of her club-minded project, Blue Hawaii, adding to their shared desire for new material to groove more viscerally.

Early into it, the group knew they wanted a guiding presence, manifested as string accompaniment. Together they arranged strings, with contributions and notations from Edwin De Goeij (who also plays the piano on several tracks), bringing the scores to an ensemble on cello, viola, and violins. The classically-trained players lit up with the freedom of the avant-garde structures; their resulting flourishes thread the album “like a protective blanket or little hands holding the songs,” says Standell-Preston.

Braids
Euphoric Recall
Tracklist
Secret City Records

01 Supernova
02 Apple
03 Evolution
04 Left/Right
05 Millennia
06 Lucky Star
07 Retriever
08 Euphoric Recall

Pre-order Euphoric Recall by Braids HERE