Montreal-based indie art-rock band Braids are back after their stunning 2015 album Deep In The Iris, with a brand new single titled ‘Eclipse (Ashley)’.
Alongside a gorgeously shot video full of greenery and splendour, ‘Eclipse (Ashley)’ is the first official taste of the trios forthcoming album to be released in 2020. The song is dedicated to singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s best friend and is a delightful tune that dives deep into the feelings of reverie for nature, love found within friendship, and the critical importance of personal reflection.
“‘Eclipse (Ashley)’ is a love song made for my best friend Ashley Obscura,” stated frontwoman Raphaelle. “During the car ride to go and view the total solar eclipse, we were fretting about not having glasses to stare at the sun, you know, those funny ones that look like you’re sitting down to watch a 3D movie. Amongst the chatter, Ashley said ‘we should take this opportunity to think about what eclipses us in our lives.’ BAM. REFOCUS. We all took this sentiment with us as we sat on the side of the quarry, as the moon came to hug the sun.’ We sat in silence perched amongst the tall grass, the wildflowers, the rocks and glistening water, closed eyes, reflecting. Returning to the studio, the song poured out of us in one shot.”
The definition of an eclipse is “the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another.” With effortless beauty, Braids have crafted a balm to combat the dark forces that cross us. To overcome the fears that plague us, the planets eclipsing our planetary bodies, the patterns that bind us, the anxiety that grips us, the heartbreak that breaks us. The balm is the perfect antidote to such darkness and chaos: that of hope, pleasure and, above all, always love.
Braids is comprised of Standell-Preston, Austin Tufts, and Taylor Smith. Formed in 2007 in Alberta, they have solidified a decade-long reputation for their musical ingenuity and established themselves as one of Canada’s most acclaimed art-rock bands, garnering two Polaris Prize shortlists and winning the 2016 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.
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