Pure Reason Revolution, the progressive alternative rock band, has unveiled their sixth studio album, “Coming Up To Consciousness,” released on September 6, 2024, through InsideOutMusic. The album explores profound and primordial themes such as betrayal, deception, fear, grief, mortality, and questions of sanity.
The second single from the album, “Useless Animal,” is now available for streaming. Jon Courtney, a member of the band, commented on the track, stating, “We’re very pleased to launch our next single, showing another side of ‘Coming Up to Consciousness’. The song’s about how we don’t realize something’s worth until it’s gone. Taking my dog to be put down & the emotional fallout, the unexpected impact. Grief is the price we pay for love. Written as a result of purposefully trying to avoid my usual repertoire of chords. This was the first track Guy Pratt played bass on, he did a wonderful job & his input spurred on further creativity.”
“Coming Up To Consciousness” is the third album of Pure Reason Revolution’s post-hiatus renaissance, following “Eupnea” in 2020 and “Above Cirrus” in 2022. Like its predecessors, the new record is deeply personal. Its eight tracks, each ranging between four and seven minutes long, grapple with various forms of darkness.
Courtney, who resides in Berlin, collaborated on several tracks with Greg Jong, who is based in the US. The duo formed Pure Reason Revolution in the early 2000s at the University of Westminster, creating their breakout hit “The Bright Ambassadors of Morning” as a third-year project. They reconnected during the creation of “Eupnea” and have continued their partnership both in the studio and on stage. Renowned session musician Guy Pratt, known for his work with Pink Floyd and other iconic acts, played bass guitar on seven of the eight tracks, contributing more ambitious bass lines than any of the band’s previous records. Ravi Kesavaram, of My Vitriol fame, returns to the drums on this record after touring with the band in 2022.
The album also features vocalist Annicke Shireen, known for her work with Shireen and Heilung, as well as her solo project. Shireen stepped in after original PRR member Chloe Alper was unavailable for recent live shows. With Alper’s schedule remaining packed, 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 expressed their enthusiasm for working with her. Greg Jong remarked, “They’re impossible shoes to fill in a lot of ways. 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 features 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, whom Courtney originally met in Berlin during a German language course.
The album will be available in various formats, including a Limited CD+DVD Digipak (featuring 5.1 Surround Sound & High Resolution Stereo Mixes), Standard CD Jewelcase, a Gatefold ReVinyl LP (Recycled Vinyl), and digitally in both stereo and Dolby Atmos.
