Minnesota-based atmospheric rock/grungegaze unit COMATOSE – featuring members of Chrome Waves, Amiensus, and Fail To Decay – will release their A Way Back debut January 22nd, 2021 via Transcending Records.
COMATOSE began in the winter of 2019/2020 with a group of musicians — Jacob Carlson (Fail To Decay), Daren Menz (Fail To Decay, Chrome Waves-live), Adam Carroll (Fail To Decay, Lion Sight, The Boy Will Die), and James Benson (Amiensus, Chrome Waves, Fail To Decay) — who previously worked together for several years experiencing the true life and daily grind of the touring musician, gathering their shared experiences of long drives, cheap beer, and muff pedals to manifest a hazy, grungy, post-metal mix of audio paradise. Notes Benson of the name, “‘Comatose’ was chosen as the name of the band as a result of being a part of ‘the lost generation.’ Faced with multiple major global economic crises, domestic racism and terrorism, a pandemic, and climate change, it only felt right to choose something that reflected the mental health of an entire generation.”
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Zach Zurn at Carpet Booth Studios, A Way Back is the sound of the existential dread of musicians in 2020 who’ve had their way of life quite literally torn apart by the chaos of the year. Thankfully, one can easily melt into the lush melody and reverb, or fall into the despair of the delay laden vocals through the diverse, yet familiar album that will likely bring listeners back to the mid-1990s without sounding dated or derivative.
Notes Benson of recently released single, “Spread,” “‘Spread’ was written shortly before the COVID-19 outbreak became a full blown pandemic and tracked in early June. The lyrics originally were discussing suicidal ideations and making plans for a letter to explain to someone’s significant other but can easily be construed as a COVID-19 patient’s last plea; the heartbreak of a family unable to see their loved one as they pass away and the inability to have a proper send off and ‘goodbye.’ Both of these topics coalesce into a single thought: ‘can you explain the torture that I’ve suffered, so that family, and friends will understand this wasn’t just waiving a white flag, it was a long-fought war with a disease/depression.’ I want to encourage everyone struggling with depression to not be afraid to seek help – especially with a year that stressed the world like no other in recent history. Having been in the healthcare and specifically counseling field the last seven years and seeing record numbers of new patients each month since March, it is important that society, the US especially, promote self-care and destroy the stigma of seeking help for mental health and addiction.”
A Way Back, which features the cover art of Todd Farnham, will see release on CD, LP, and digitally.
For physical preorders, go to THIS LOCATION. For digital preorders, go HERE.
COMATOSE:
Jacob Carlson – drums
Adam Carroll – guitar, vocals
James Benson – guitar, vocals
Daren Menz – bass, vocals
http://www.facebook.com/comatoseminnesota
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUNpxQDG1DSbsApt8ZScVGw
