Progressive alternative rockers Pure Reason Revolution return with their sixth studio album ‘Coming Up To Consciousness’, released on the 6th September 2024 via InsideOutMusic. Betrayal, deception, fear, grief, mortality, and questions of sanity: heady and primordial themes animate the latest conceptual LP from Pure Reason Revolution. Indeed, the new single from the band is titled ‘Betrayal’, and you can watch the video now here:
Jon Courtney comments:
“My daughter says whenever we see a white butterfly it’s Dennis visiting us, ‘and your soul it passes by still’. I felt such guilt after having him put down, it’s taken two years to accept it was the right thing to do at that time. ‘not built to feel you death’, highlights how one can think you’re prepared for such an event but then you’re floored in the aftermath.
Greg & I began this track in Portland, I brought it back to Berlin & pulled it into shape.
Guy does a fab bassline, which might even see me dancing or prancing across the stage when we do it live! Hope you enjoy this one.”
Watch the video for previous single ‘Dig Till You Die’ here: https://youtu.be/ytEnpyrsN1U?si=lFYV0plKlBv6_QQg
Watch the video for ‘Useless Animal’ here: https://youtu.be/XFnls7FJAY0
‘Coming Up To Consciousness’ is the third of its post-hiatus renaissance records that began with 2020’s ‘Eupnea’ and continued in 2022’s ‘Above Cirrus’. Like those two predecessors, the new record is intensely personal. Its eight tracks are all between four and seven minutes long – concise by PRR standards – and they grapple with darkness of various kinds.
Courtney, who lives in Berlin, shared writing duties on several tracks with US-based Greg Jong. The pair formed Pure Reason Revolution together in the early 00s at the University of Westminster, creating breakout hit ‘The Bright Ambassadors of Morning’ as their third year project. They reconnected during the creation of ‘Eupnea’ and have continued the partnership since then both in the studio and on stage. Legendary session musician Guy Pratt, who has worked with Pink Floyd among myriad iconic acts, provided bass guitar on seven of the eight tracks, resulting in more ambitious bass lines than any of Pure Reason Revolution’s previous records. Meanwhile, Ravi Kesavaram, of My Vitriol fame, returns to the drums on this record after touring with the band in 2022.
Another newcomer on this record is vocalist Annicke Shireen, known for her work with Shireen and Heilung, as well as her solo project. Shireen stepped in after original PRR member and fan favourite Chloe Alper was unavailable for recent live shows. With Alper’s schedule remaining packed for the foreseeable future, she has been unable to rejoin the lineup. She and Courtney agreed it made more sense for Shireen to sing on the record if she was going to continue appearing in shows. Both Courtney and Jong have nothing but enthusiasm for working with her:
“They’re impossible shoes to fill in a lot of ways,” Greg Jong says. “But we were just blown away with how good she is. We were really excited by the fact that vocally she does have a similar tone to Chloe, and yet she definitely holds her own.”
The band was equally thrilled to work with multiple members of prog icon The Pineapple Thief; the record was mixed by Bruce Soord, mastered by Steve Kitch, and sees Jon Sykes playing bass on one track. ‘Coming Up To Consciousness’ is also the third PRR album to feature cover art by Jill Tegan Doherty, who Courtney originally met in Berlin on a German language course.
The album will be available as a Limited CD+DVD Digipak (featuring 5.1 Surround Sound & High Resolution Stereo Mixes), Standard CD Jewelcase, as well as a Gatefold ReVinyl LP (Recycled Vinyl), and digitally in both stereo and Dolby Atmos. Pre-order now here: https://purereasonrevolution.lnk.to/ComingUpToConsciousness
The band have also confirmed their first tour dates in support of the album, playing in Europe alongside Lesoir in September & October, before a headline tour of the UK in December.
27th September – Be Prog! My Friend, Barcelona, Spain*
29th September – Stummsche Reithalle, Neunkirchen, Germany
30th September – Backstage By The Mill, Paris, France
1st October – Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
3rd October – Cpunt, Hoofddorp, Netherlands
4th October – Progpower Europe, Baarlo, Netherlands*
5th October – 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
*No Lesoir
3rd December – The 1865, Southampton
4th December – Thekla, Bristol
5th December – Club Academy, Manchester
6th December – O2 Academy 2, Birmingham
8th December – Islington Assembly Hall, London
The band will also make their first appearance on Cruise To The Edge in 2025, alongside Steve Hackett, Riverside, Haken, Big Big Train, Robert Fripp & many more.
