Pure Reason Revolution recently announced their fifth studio album, entitled Above Cirrus. The record will be released on 6th May 2022 via InsideOutMusic. The album is the follow-up to 2020’s Eupnea, which was the band’s first full-length effort since reuniting in 2019. The band’s own Jon Courtney said of the new single: “This song came together very quickly & is probably the most electronic track on the record; using pulses from my JUNO 2 into doom riffs, while also displaying our signature vocals. Looking forward to seeing PRR fans rock & simultaneously awkwardly dance to this! We’ll be doing the same from the stage.”

Guitarist Greg Jong added: “We’re getting very excited about the tour, there is fabulous music we’ve made that’s practically begging to be played live — I mean, we’ve completed two full-length records in the last couple of years, yet it’s amazing to me that we haven’t played a single gig in all that time! It’s going to be really cool to bring these songs to an actual in-person audience, I know everyone is going to enjoy the shows so much.”

The forthcoming record will be released on limited CD, Gatefold LP and digital download. You can view the track list down below, and pre-orders can be found here.

1). Our Prism
2). New Kind of Evil
3). Phantoms
4). Cruel Deliverance
5). Scream Sideways
6). Dead Butterfly
7). Lucid

According to a recent press release, Above Cirrus is a narrative driven concept album. Jon Courtney said of the lyrical themes on the record: “Often my writing occupies itself with relationships; how we can be so tender/loving with each other in one instance, days later or even in a few flashes we’re tearing each other apart. The sublime & the savage/vicious. The music reflects this light & shade dynamic shift too. Our world shrinks through lockdowns/restrictions & strain is intensified. However, the end message is one of optimism – affirmation we’ll get to the end of this surreal chapter & be stronger together. Through the turbulence, we’ll help each other through the darkness.”

Pure Reason Revolution will also be heading out on a European tour this month, with one UK date at the Earth Theatre in London. Full dates and ticket information can be found here.

The album will be released as Limited CD, Gatefold LP+CD & as Digital Download, featuring beautiful cover artwork by artist Jill Tegan Doherty, who previously created the cover for Eupnea. Pre-order now here.

In a statement from the group’s current guitarist Greg Jong, he comments, “When Jon first played me his initial version of New Kind of Evil, I was honestly astonished by the beautiful melding of the halftime shuffle beat with such a giant yet melodious guitar riff. Then the synth line and vocal melodies entered and elevated the emotion even further — it was a really cool moment, I hope people hearing it for the first time experience a similar feeling.” Frontman Jon Courtney then adds, “Very excited to get the first of our new material out there in 2022. This was the first track I worked on in 2020, the embryo formed in the midst of tidal waves of uncertainty. I wanted the rollercoaster of a track to mirror that uneasiness & surreal bewilderment.” 

The album is also available to pre-order now on CD, Vinyl & Digital here:https://t.co/1zwp9VUoa7

— Pure Reason Revolution (@PRR_official) March 4, 2022

Chloë Alpe, the band’s permanent bass/synth player states, “Since Pure Reason Revolution’s reformation I feel that this band has embraced its identity and its place within the Progressive rock genre with a force, confidence and grandeur that radiates through the work. This new record fills me with as much pride as it does head-to-toe tingles. I am excited for the music loving community to hear it and excited for the prospect of it growing our reach.”

On Above Cirrus, the band continues many of the musical through lines that fans have come to expect; maintaining a balance between somber reflection and intrepid exploration, leading listeners through a shapeshifting collection of seven tracks that evoke a range of emotions. On the songs “Our Prism” and “New Kind of Evil”, the energy reaches magnificent heights of guitar-led catharsis, rivaling the best efforts of acts like Tool and Filter, while offerings in “Lucid” and “Dead Butterfly” meld the group’s keyboard-centric song-structures with vast, epic soundscapes. But, unlike its predecessor, ‘Above Cirrus’ is far from a narrative-driven concept record. As Jon confides, each song, while fueled by his personal journeys and the condition of modern times, is truly its own device. Reflecting on the lyricism of the record, he adds:

“Often my writing occupies itself with relationships; how we can be so tender/loving with each other in one instance, days later or even in a few flashes we’re tearing each other apart. The sublime & the savage/vicious. The music reflects this light & shade dynamic shift too. Our world shrinks through lockdowns/restrictions & strain is intensified. However, the end message is one of optimism – affirmation we’ll get to the end of this surreal chapter & be stronger together. Through the turbulence, we’ll help each other through the darkness.”

As well as a new album on the horizon, the group have also announced a single UK date as a part of their upcoming European tour. Set for April 17^th, the group will host their one night in the UK at the Earth Theatre in London. Ticket information can be found here.