Release Date: 13th September 2024 Label: Self Release Formats: CD / Vinyl / Digital
UNCLASSIFIABLE
The press release for Hello, Boil Brain, the debut album from Bristol-based quartet Sans Froid, defines the music – the sounds – they make as progressive art rock. I suppose that’s as good a definition as any, if we really HAVE to hang a tag on something as challenging, disconcert ing – but also as settling and rewarding – as Hello, Boil Brain. Personally, I’d just classify this music as ‘unclassifiable,’ and be done with the pigeon-holing.
Sans Froid are: Aisling Rhiannon (lead vocals and keyboards), Toby Green (drums and vocals), Ben Harris (bass) and Charlie Barnes (guitar). The band only came together earlier this year when Aisling and Toby – who previously plied their trade as Leeds-based duo, Pave – teamed up with the rest of the guys. They cite their key influences as The Mars Volta and Radiohead and, at least to my mind, there’s a hefty nudge from Kate Bush and also Peter Gabriel-period Genesis that permeates their music, too. They’ve attracted comparisons to similarly-leftfield boundary-pushers such as Exploring Birdsong, PEACH, Voronol and Sugar Horse but, as I’ve already said, attempts to classify this music are futile.
Sans Froid. Courtesy Image
THE UNDERSTATED PLEASURES OF A PEACEFUL NIGHT IN
It’s the ‘Hello’ aspect of the album’s title that kicks off Hello, Boil Brain, with a short track in which a mélange of lo-fi sound provides the background to Aisling’s repeated “Hello” greeting, and we’re up and running.
The lo-fi ambience continues into Planket, one of three singles from the album that have already seen light of day. The tension is broken as the band crash in, and pianos, siren-like guitar and Aisling’s punky, punchy vocals alternate with quieter passages in which Kate Bush comparisons are unavoidable. Speaking of the track, Aisling commented: “For me, Planket represents the understated pleasures of a peaceful night in, favouring the warmth of companionship over the noise of nightlife. Its storyline centres on discovering joy and satisfaction within the serenity of home, emphasizing the freedom found in embracing moments of solitude. The song celebrates the choice to forego the conventional social scene, opting instead for simple pleasures like a cosy cup of tea and a leisurely stroll.”
And, believe it or not, that explanation puts the song right into context.
WE CAN HEAR YOU, KATE
The ghost of Kate Bush, as well as passages that recall the prog explorations of early Genesis are also present in Gammon, the latest of the three singles to be taken from Hello, Boil Brain. One of the album’s standout tracks, it’s a song that epitomizes Sans Froid’s ability to challenge and satisfy in equal measure. The lyrics hit out at the continuous passive misogyny experienced by women – a point that is plainly emphasized in the unsettling official video that accompanied the single’s release (see below).
Driving home the point, Aisling says: “It pokes fun at the stereotype of the boozy, red-faced Brits who often feel it their place to aggressively share their unsolicited opinions.” Go for it, Aisling, that’s what I say.
Yet, Aisling sounds so very vulnerable as she sings the weird but alluring dystopian piano ballad, Hardware Bruise. Part pop song, part post-punk angst and part avant-garde prog, it’s another song that leaves ‘virtues’ such as predictability and listening comfort at the check-in desk. Things are, maybe, just a little more accessible for the rocky Split in Two. Charlie’s spacy guitar licks lay down a challenge that is readily accepted by Aisling’s mighty piano gestures, as things gradually gather pace. Aisling’s vocals are dreamy but commanding and Toby’s quickfire drumbeats deserve a special mention, too.
THE PANDEMIC DRAGS ON
We’re now three years on from the last vestiges of the COVID pandemic but we’re still getting songs through that reflect upon, or were inspired by, that strange period. A bouncy piano line is matched by the rhythm of Toby’s drums in The Still, the album’s lead single, as the frantic opening passage yields to period of contemplation, before the song simmers and surges to a dramatic climax.
We’ll refer, once again, to Rhiannon to provide a bit of background to whatever it was the band were thinking as they put the track together: “The Still mirrors the narrative of Hello, Boil Brain, delving into the profound anxiety stemming from emerging out of a world-altering pandemic and the daunting prospect of reintegrating into a frenetic ‘normal’ society. It reflects the realization that social interaction, once second nature to many, now feels overwhelming, and the rapid pace of life no longer aligns comfortably. The yearning to linger in a state of slow existence amidst the chaos.”
Perhaps my pick of the bunch on Hello, Boil Brain is the engaging What’s That Sound. Ostensibly an intimate ballad, with Aisling’s vocal front and centre in the mix, there’s actually an awful lot going on if you listen closely. Toby provides the drive with a rapid-fire, yet discrete, drumbeat, Charlie emits occasional howls from his guitar and Toby repeatedly asks “What’s that sound?” as Aisling goes about her vocal business. It’s one of those songs that’s tuneful enough to entertain and challenging enough to invigorate and, after all, that’s what most of are looking for in our music, isn’t it?
not meant to be an easy listen
And, to round things off, closing track, Boil Brain, takes us right back to where we came in. Eerie, echo-y and unsettling, with a backing of single-note piano and a whooshing soundscape, it’s a slow-burning epic that gets more chilling the longer it goes on, until it all ends where it started. Aisling’s parting “Hellos” echo around every corner of the room, and that’s it. Hello, Boil Brain isn’t an easy listen, by any means. It was never meant to be. But, give it a chance and you’ll discover things that you never knew existed.
Watch the official video to Gammons, the latest of the three singles taken from the album, here:
