CONJURER UNVEIL NEW SINGLE ‘LET US LIVE’ + NEW ALBUM UNSELF
British metal heavyweights CONJURER have revealed another glimpse of their incredible third album, Unself, due 24th October via Nuclear Blast Records. 'Let Us Live', the second single released ahead of Unself, is out now.
CONJURER's co-vocalist and guitarist Dani Nightingale comments that 'Let Us Live' is based on "the idea that, even though trans and gender non-conforming people have existed for thousands of years, in all cultures, of all races, we are a blight upon the earth and don’t deserve the rights that every other human being should be allowed upon birth. We try to educate people about our situation, to make people aware of our existence in the hopes that we (and anyone unsure of their sex/gender) will be accepted and understood, yet are demonised as predators, corrupting and indoctrinating everyone around us. The song takes the form of a conversation between the Oppressed and Oppressor, just trying to understand what it is about us that causes this vitriol, when all we want to do is survive - a plea, to let us live."
CONJURER have evolved radically since the release of their debut album (Mire, 2018), and their second release (Páthos, 2022) saw them lauded among the most exciting British metal bands. Whilst award nominations and accolades accumulated, the four-piece band retained their very simple mission: to make heavy music and have fun whilst doing so. Preferring to use their spotlight to showcase technicality and musicality rather than centring politics or opinions, CONJURER lived in the moment and embraced everything that came their way.
Within the tumult of forging a renewed identity as a band, on Unself there is a more intense, more personal voyage of discovery unfurling for vocalist/guitarist Dani Nightingale. Diagnosed with autism at age 31, their long-held view of self, and perception of their place in the world began to unravel. Unself documents much of the piecing back together around the diagnosis, alongside the realisation they were non-binary.
These vignettes of processing and self-actualisation take place against the backdrop of a society careening towards glassy-eyed capitalist dystopia; finding firm footing eludes many of us - and CONJURER delve headfirst into exploring these suffocating new societal parameters.
Within Unself's nine tracks, CONJURER deliver the writhing post-metal sound they’ve become known for, but have loosened their grip on the desire to fill every moment with sonic obliteration. Instead, they have leaned into utilising space, gifting listeners a little breathing room which serves to make the heavy elements feel all the more intense.
A more direct, organic approach to songwriting was facilitated by the ever-strengthening bonds within the band, and the supportive environment created by producer Joe Clayton. Allowing themselves more time than with any previous recording experience, they committed to preproduction sessions, followed by an elongated recording period in order to do justice to the material they had crafted. Stripping back the excesses of previous outings to reveal their solid songwriting chops allowed for more clarity and more dynamics to shine through. To their ears, the mood, the core of the lyrical content and the music are more aligned than ever before.
This record is the sound of four individuals living with more purpose and as a consequence creating with more purpose. Unself sees them reaching out to offer community, catharsis and connection. CONJURER remain true to their original mission - they’re still having fun, playing interesting heavy music - but now that music is imbued with the power that comes from opening themselves up to others, at first within the band, and now beyond.
