TESSERACT RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM AND NEW SOUND
British djentlemen announce philosophical follow-up to Polaris.
TesseracT are putting the finishing touches to their latest album, which will be released via Kscope next spring. It’s their second full-length with vocalist Daniel Tompkins, who’s brought in an inspired lyrical concept.
“Dan has been toying with the idea that we’ve entered an age where society has lost perspective on itself and everything around it,” explains guitarist James Monteith. “The lyrics are a reflection of that and how, as humans, we experience very little of what the world has to offer. We isolate ourselves in our own little worlds, unaware of the brilliance and complexity of everything and 99.9 per cent of the world around us.”
Although the album title won’t be announced until the New Year, there are rumours that it will build thematically on the uplifting digital single Smile, which TesseracT released over the summer. It’s not yet clear whether that song will appear on the album’s final track listing, but Monteith confirms it does share some sonic elements.
“Smile was a stepping stone between the last album and where we are now. It hints a little at one of the directions we’re taking, but it’s certainly not representative of the whole album.
“This is going to be our most diverse record yet.”
“Unlike [their 2015 album] Polaris, which was very much song-based, the music on this record is turning out to have much longer passages and more progressions, for want of a better word. There are some moments which are quite heavy, where we’re experimenting a bit more with abrasive guitar tones. In places there are some more aggressive vocals, but it’s more about dynamics than being all-out heavy and brutal. There are also some very atmospheric and layered details, so musically it’s going to be quite eclectic.
“A heavy moment is only really heavy in the context of a track with quieter parts so the heaviness will be more like a texture or element on the record. As with all our albums, we want to do something different to what we’ve done before and get involved in experimentation. There will be some nice surprises in there. This is going to be our most diverse record yet.”
Compared to their previous recordings, this album – the band’s fourth – is a more collaborative effort, with main songwriter and guitarist Acle Kahney taking further input from the rest of the band. Tompkins’ recent sonic experiments with White Moth Black Butterfly and Skyharbor have informed some of that
diversity, as have contributions from the band’s ‘sixth member’ Aidan O’Brien. In fact, the producer and sound designer has been more involved in the songwriting than ever before.
“Aidan’s influences have definitely helped shape the sound,” confirms Monteith. “He writes a lot of soundscapes and electronica so that’s really helped us expand our range. Also, Dan is a workhorse. He’s got several projects on the go at any time and takes a lot of inspiration from the people he works with. That’s definitely had an impact on the direction of the record.”
TesseracT will be airing teaser tracks from the new album in the New Year and promise they will also be creating some exciting new video content very soon.
“Amos [Williams, bassist] in particular is very interested in visual arts so you’ll see a lot more of that,” says Monteith. “We’ll probably be doing some more live studio videos too, where you’ll get to see everyone playing their parts.”
TesseracT will be touring Europe next year and have already begun to announce a handful of festival appearances. Further shows are still to be confirmed and the dates will culminate in an autumn tour.
For more, visit www.tesseractband.co.uk. NRS