Renowned Wales-based Scottish musician, string-arranger and composer David Grubb is set to release his third album, Circadia, on Friday, 13 September. A versatile and highly sought-after artist who masterfully blends a multitude of musical genres, Grubb’s Circadia promises to be an album brimming with all-encompassing influences.
An instrumental concept album, Circadia explores the human subconscious, leading listeners on a sonic journey through a typical sleep cycle. Inspired by the universality of sleeping, dreaming and subconscious thoughts, David has composed an album which reflects the wacky but relatable nature of the sleep process (some of you may recall that we spoke with David about the album last year when he launched his Kickstarter).
Circadia features 17 tracks, each exploring a specific phenomenon experienced while asleep, such as false awakenings, nightmares, and lucid dreaming.
Watch the video for the lead single ‘Daily Grind’ below, on which he shares:
“I wanted the first track of the album to start in a wakeful state. We put our headphones on and begin the journey together, conscious.
“Daily Grind depicts the routine, duties and responsibilities that define everyday life. As time goes on, we grow weary and long for sleep. The track begins as a short, repetitive, plucked figure that underpins throughout, anchoring us to the concept of relentless routine. Hooks and melodies weave around this motif as it stubbornly holds its ground. Fatigued, the music then breaks down into an improvised solo, building back towards that stubborn figure and the melodies that dance around it. The music rises to a defiant climax that quotes the opening phrase. Exasperated, the track comes to a halt. We are ready to dream.
“From here the album dives into the transition between consciouses, where things start to get weird and all sorts of wondrous phenomena materialise. But we’ll have to wait for the next single to get stuck in there…”
This is a strong first single from David, whose previous work has always sparkled with inventive arrangements and an engaging journey-like experience for the listener. I’m looking forward to experiencing this one.
Daily Grind is out now – Stream it here: https://davidgrubb.lnk.to/dailygrind
Pre-Order Circadia here: https://davidgrubb.bandcamp.com/album/circadia
Video filmed by Andrew Lawson of Fieldgate Studio.
Recorded by Nathanael Orr at Parc Arts.
Mixed and Mastered by Samuel Barnes.
Performers:
Violin – David Grubb
Clarinet – Annie Perry
Keys – Corben Lee
Guitar – Daniel Whitting
Double Bass – Aidan Thorne
Drums – Jon Reynolds