Named after French anarchist Élisée Reclus, Reclus.É is a duo made up of Daniel P Carter and Soren Bryce (Tummyache). Following incendiary shows at 2000trees, Outbreak, ArcTanGent and with A Perfect Circle, they now release their debut album, ‘The World Can’t Take Much More’.
As suggested by the titles, it’s an all-encompassing record that examines what it means to exist in the now. And it does this against an equally heavy and gorgeous, cathartic and hopeful backing…
‘A Muted TV’ opens the album with a slew of atmospheric and emotive effects that are disrupted by Daniel’s abrasive riffs and Soren’s commanding vocals: ‘Speak for yourself because nothing helps’. It then shifts gears into more of a post-hardcore space while Soren screams ‘Look what you’ve done’. ‘Stain’ follows with brutal drums and twinkly, dreamy emo-learning guitar lines: ‘I’m searching for an answer’. ‘Golden Ratio’ has a more angular feel and sounds like the world is folding in on itself, while Soren remains and defiantly declares this is ‘As good as it gets, as much as you try’.
Recent single ‘Isolationist’ gets even heavier with punk-rock-meets-hardcore riff and musings on the horrors in Gaza – a very different sound to the following ‘Headstart Season’, which opens sounding like Ride and their shoegaze contemporaries before blending all kings of deliciously ear-splitting noise. ‘ ‘With Fire’ is more scuzzy with chugging riffs, while ‘Belly of the Whale’ falls somewhere between Rush, Mew and La Dispute – and it works, leaving you spellbound.
‘Cold Candles’ has a bouncier edge with more delicate harmonies, while ‘Dogs’ is short, sharp and sensationally screamy. ‘Waste Not Want Not’ will transport you back to the baggy era with sweet melodies and striking questions: ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’; ‘Is that the most that you’re worth?’; ‘Is that the face you got?’ The 6-minute closing track ‘Swarm’ offers a fitting finale. It’s a crescendo of math-rock riffs, delicate bass and clattering drums that soon makes way for a burst of feedback and finally some birdsong.
While ‘The World Can’t Take Much More’, we’ll all certainly want to hear more from Reclus.É.
