Brightside has existed in the underbelly of the indie-rock world just about as long as I’ve been writing about music. Their debut effort, Now & Loud, was released four years ago on the now-defunct Broken World Media and was packed to the brim with the kind of youthful energy and post-rock influence of Connecticut-based lords of emo The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die in a strange, but effective marriage to the kind of indie-rock that makes the middle aughts feel like “home” to so many of our musical identities. The quiet moments on Now & Loud were never actually quiet– just moments full of fleeting and delicacy that gave way to builds powerful enough to make your heart race before throwing you into the carefully constructed chaos of a drop.
A year later, the band released The World Reversed— a three-song EP that showcased just how much the band had grown in that short span. The World Reversed felt more spatially aware than their debut. Each headphone felt rich with its own treasure for listeners to uncover and that still applies to current listens. Soon after this release, the band announced that a hiatus was imminent. The band stopped making music and only appeared in social media feeds to caption whatever they were sharing with “2012.” It’s been three long years since the last time we heard anything from Brightside, and I’m happy to say that I’ve got two brand new song to share with y’all today.
The band is currently recording their sophomore album, aptly entitled 2012, to be released later this Spring in partnership with Ok Sweet Records. In the meantime, I’m teaming up with Brightside to share their new Two Songs EP and I couldn’t be more excited! These two songs are the richest and most full-bodied work to come from the Pittsburgh quartet to date. “Is This Real Life?” is spacey and atmospheric — pulling listeners out of their current hellscape and letting them float through the dreamy haze the track creates. Take a second to think about the kind of genius that would come from a tag-team of The Cure and Failure and you’ve got an inkling of what to expect from this incredible two song release.
You can stream Two Songs in full below.
Two Songs is available now. The pre-order for exclusive bundle featuring a loveisblind t-shirt can be picked up here.
