Azure Ray - Remedy [White Vinyl]

Twenty years have passed since Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink released their self-titled debut record as Azure Ray. Those familiar with their work now know that it was the tragic death of Taylor's then boyfriend which abruptly transformed the duo's relationship to music - their alt-rock roots gave way to the now signature, dreamlike soundscapes that became known as ''whisper core'' with songs like ''Sleep'' & ''Rise.'' After 4 full-length albums, multiple-cities, 2 hiatuses, and one pandemic, their timeless, genre-defining sound returns with a bold new fortitude with Remedy. Produced by Brandon Walters (Lord Huron, Joshua Radin), the band worked individually through the COVID-19 pandemic across 3 separate recording locations in southern California to craft Azure Ray's first full length album in 10 years. With Remedy, Taylor and Fink sought to explore new structural arrangements and sonic dynamics, providing Walters with both the creative direction and freedom to expand upon the bands long-established ambient sound. Thematically, reoccurring themes of tragedy, chaos and anxiety present from the very first Azure Ray record (as a result of immense personal loss) reveal themselves with new meaning set against a world, not just their own lives, in turmoil. However impartial it sounds, the result is the best version of Azure Ray ever captured to tape (or computer). It's the same Maria and Orenda who have lulled us through devastating agony and lifted our hearts over the last two decades, unchanged in their ability to find beauty in darkness, hope in desolation. Remedy is Azure Ray's 5th LP and will mark the 50th release on Taylor's label, Flower Moon Records.