After long last, the debut full-length album from Bleary has arrived. The songs of Little Brain began forming pre-pandemic with each composition and arrangement being refined in front of live audiences.
When that was no longer an option, the band shifted to building at home studios. Peter Mercer, Callan Dwan and Taro Yamazaki traded demos and chased textures; ideas they never would have considered with in-person performances.
The band found a way to record the earliest tracks with Joshua Ditty during peak pandemic, confirming their pursuit was bearing fruit. As the world returned, they found themselves at County Q with Mike Purcell, completing the process of capturing the album and layering their ideas. Always molding, shaping, and sculpting into the right form. The final recordings that emerged were the result of years of refinement, exploration and relentless experimentation.
The songs are dense and immersive, some with dozens of guitar tracks. Lyrically, the album chases themes of loss, insufficiency and a deep yearning for acceptance. The title track perfectly captures that feeling of finding your place, emphatically inquiring “If I’m gonna be someone, can I be that to you? //
I swear on my life I’ll be someone we both like.”
Dwan and Mercer’s vocal harmonies cut through the wall of sound, carrying you through the fray. Sometimes they blur into one another as one voice, sometimes they play off of one another – but they always capture the vulnerability with an eloquent melancholy.
It’s been a long road to get Little Brain out into the world but the album is a beautiful testament to that persistent, patience and vision.
You can pick up Little Brain on limited edition red marbled vinyl, digitally on Ampwall and Bandcamp or streaming on Apple Music, Spotify and everywhere else.
The band will celebrate the release of Little Brain on Thursday, May 28th at The Blue Room with Oscar Lindsey and Swimming Sisters. Tickets are on sale now.
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