SOM are a post-metal quintet from the US and they are gearing up for their new album “The Shape of Everything” to release next week. They pair airy, calm and almost disconnected vocals alongside collages of guitars. I really like how one part of the band feels so relaxed whilst everything else is having an absolute field day – the two sides work really well together. In some ways, SOM draws comparisons to The Deftones but without their screamier parts. Their new single “Center” was one of the first songs they wrote remotely during all the lockdowns and is unusual for the band as the vocals were originally intended for something else. That caused the band to write around an existing vocal cut and try a new style of writing.
Interestingly, SOM have also picked up a motto of “leave things better than you found it”. Their album was recorded, mixed and mastered at SOM’s vocalist and guitarist Will Beniot’s own studio – Radar Studio. It is entirely solar-powered and that’s a first for New Connecticut. I love that rock is leading the way on some of the sustainability agenda and it is a great example of the smaller things we can do to make Earth better.
The video for “Center” is below and was directed by Samia Zaidi. The single is out now and you can pre-order the album too. Anyone that enjoys heavy shoegazing with calming vocals – you’ll be right at home!
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