Reclus.É announce debut album The World Can’t Take Much More and share Belly Of The Whale
Reclus.É, the collaboration between Daniel P Carter and Soren Bryce, have announced their debut album, The World Can’t Take Much More, due for release on 13 November via Rise Records.
The record arrives alongside new single Belly Of The Whale, a tense, brooding track that turns Bryce’s experience of religion and faith communities into something claustrophobic and confrontational. The pair recorded the album at Middle Farm Studios and The Black Lodge, producing it themselves with Peter Miles, who also mixed the record.
Carter said: “This album is the sound of two people becoming friends through the collaborative, creative process of making a record. It’s a body of work that represents both Soren and Daniel, but also a third thing that is simply Reclus.É.”
He continued: “Writing and recording the album was a process of learning what each other is about, honouring each other’s creativity, becoming friends, and celebrating the moments when ideas and opinions aligned. It’s a document of each letting go of the reins to allow them to find something neither would have made alone. Made in an era of great social turmoil, it’s a comment on life in current climes, at a time when the world can’t take much more…”
A song shaped by faith, doubt and isolation
On Belly Of The Whale, Bryce traces the pressures and contradictions she encountered in a Christian community while growing up. The song’s Biblical imagery centres on Jonah, using the story as a frame for withdrawal, scrutiny and the difficulty of questioning deeply held beliefs.
Bryce said: “Belly of the Whale was heavily inspired by my relationship to religion. The first verse is about the community I found in my life wanting to ‘save me’ when I was younger, with the line about wearing the wire implying my role as ‘the informant’, the connection to the outer world, the person feeding back the modern life I was encountering outside of my schooling, and it being met with resistance.”
She added: “The second verse is referring to myself as Jonah, an isolated existence that instead traps me within this Bible story to avoid the conflict and backlash of questioning beliefs. The bridge is very much my anger toward this so-called ‘Christian’ community, seeing the hypocrisy and especially American fundamental Christianity having nothing to do with what ‘Jesus’ was actually like. Overall, the song is to encourage the ability to question things that don’t sit right within your values and morality, and that to believe in something requires a thorough investigation of what it is you are supporting.”
Listen to Belly Of The Whale here.
The full debut takes shape
The World Can’t Take Much More spans 13 tracks, including earlier single A Muted TV, Belly Of The Whale and Cold Candles. The album follows a busy first run of shows for the band, including UK dates supporting A Perfect Circle and festival appearances at 2000trees, Outbreak, All Points East and ArcTanGent.
- A Muted TV
- Stain
- Golden Radio
- Isolationist
- Headstart Season
- With Fire
- All Bark No Bite
- Belly Of The Whale
- Cold Candles
- Honey From Lions
- Dogs
- Waste Not Want Not
- Swarm
The World Can’t Take Much More is out on 13 November through Rise Records. Pre-order the album here.
