Montreal based art rockers BRAIDS are to release a four track EP entitled In Kind // Amends which is out on Arbutus Records on the 11th June this year. After the departure of one band member last year, the band currently consists of Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith and this will be their fourth release together.

After touring to promote their last album, they went on to spend a year in their Montreal studio writing and recording. The result is a more electronic, introspective selection of music than the more organic and live influenced Native Speaker release.

The first single to be put out, “In Kind” opens In Kind // Amends and is a more lively track than the rest of the EP. “When you wake up in the morning, there’s no cat upon your bed and no mum to pet your head”. The vocal range is vast and the higher notes a lovely part of the melody.

“Near Enough” contrasts with the first track with a more dance music influenced sound – it is an electronic lullaby, soft and interesting, soft lyrics come over top; “We’re in love, only to see, we’re in love, all that I need”. Following this, “Amends” is a textured atmospheric tune with a pulsing, upbeat rhythm, taking the electronic music influences a step up a gear. The lyrics echo and overlap to create a mesh of a soundscape dotted with moments of clarity in the vocals.

“A Dawn In Me” ends the release with a quiet, ringing opening note and at almost seven minutes long, works like a suspense builder for when the vocals do come in at the five minute mark; “A dawn in me, a dawn in you”. All in all, In Kind // Amends shows that the BRAIDS sound is developing into a more spacey, dreamy one, and I like it.

Reviewed by Heather Welsh.