Hubris

With influences spanning from This Will Destroy You to Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Hubris. oft find themselves compared to the likes of Sigur Ros or Long Distance Calling. The writing process of Metempsychosis only emphasises their ability to tactfully draw inspiration from wide schools of thought and experience, using both Greek mythology and their native Swiss landscapes as prime drivers for the album’s conception.

“Music to us is the greatest tool to translate and express our feelings and mindset,” begins drummer Nathan Gros. “Thus, composing this album was a delicate and profound experience for both of us. But for the sake of paying tribute to all the incredible musicians and bands out there, we would also like to add Nils Frahm, Anderson Paak, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Gojira – unfortunately, we have to stop there for brevity, even though there are many more – to the list.”

Running as the first single from the album, Heracles is a 12-part epic sewn of several acts. The track climbs from a soft simmer into a triumphant symphony as it drifts in cloud-like motion – bearing grace and a sense of softness as it gently travels towards the distance. With rich, fluid transitions and flawless, attentive song strucutre, Hubris. present a song as remarkable of a journey as the one led by its namesake.

“Heracles is not only about the 12 different trials but also encompasses the entire life of the mythological Greek hero,” continues Gros. “Like all the other songs of the album, it is about the cycle of life and death, but also (and more importantly) about reincarnation and rebirth. The different parts of the songs represent both Heracles’s trials and the various stages of his life, the last two being musical illustrations of his rise to Mount Olympus and his place among the gods until the end of times.

Our favourite part of putting it together was the idea of overcoming the common structure found in post-rock music. We tried to compose a song with a great dynamic range and to integrate the concept of “verse and chorus” all at once. It was quite a hard task as these two ideas are seemingly conflictive. It took us a long time to find the right balance which resulted in the most intricate song structure in the band’s history.”

Coming off the back of a band restructure, Metempsychosis marks the dawn of a new era for Hubris. – one that not only brings a new and exciting approach to both composition and live performances but will likely follow the trend of critical appraisal that their last record, Apocryphal Gravity, drew from reviewers and fans alike. With new material already in the works and a busy touring schedule over the next 12 months, opportunities to see their sweeping post-rock in action will soon grace Europe and India after a tour that left Australian heads spinning.

Hubris’ newest release, Metempsychosis, will be available as of March 14th. Their first single, Heracles, is available for streaming now via Bandcamp.