[Image courtesy of Ultra Dogme]

By Grace Koennecke, Columns Editor

On Wednesday, avant-rock band Blessed dropped their new single “Agoraphobia” ahead of their upcoming album, “Circuitous“. On this track, the band has sharpened their musical strengths with controlled drums and staccato-like syncopation to heighten the excitement around their project. 

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The single was accompanied with a visualizer created by digital artists Nathan Donovan and Jacob Dutton, which features a nameless, child-like robot that contains very subtle expressions. The robot has been used for the band’s past single releases, including “Redefine” and “Anything.”

Drew Riekman talked in depth about the single with Flood Magazine saying, “Dealing with moments of panic and crisis is confusing for the people around you. Especially if you’re suffering from something that doesn’t have heft in the common day to day world. Wide open spaces and being far from home is generally exciting for most, and touring was a vehicle for me to feel that same feeling a lot of the time. But with so much home time, I was enveloped again with a sensation that makes little sense to anyone else, and attempted to open the door a little to that isolation.”

Much like the themes found within “Agoraphobia,” fans can expect the topics of agoraphobia, isolation and grief within the eight tracks that will make up “Circuitous”, all created in just the span of a year. The group even collaborated with Vancouver City Recorders Matt Roach and Emily Ryan to create something sonically different from their previous work. 

“Circuitous” drops Oct. 28 via Flemish Eye Records, and Blessed will begin touring Nov. 17, starting in Winnipeg, MB.