After the 2011 release of their critically applauded debut, Native Speaker, the Montreal, QC-based band BRAIDS spent the next 18 months touring to support the album. After the departure of a band member and the release of the 12 inch single In Kind//Amends, the remaining members of the band holed up in their Montreal studio for a year of writing and recording. Unlike their debut effort, Native Speaker which was conceived and written in an organic and live setting, BRAIDS’ forthcoming effort Flourish//Perish, slated for an August 20th release reflects the band’s exploration of a more nuanced, thoughtful approach to songwriting, employing the use of electronics. 

The band was invited to a live session and interview at Seattle’s KEXP FM, and during the live session they played several songs from Flourish//Perish – notably, “Hossak,” “13,” “Victoria” and “In Kind” – and the new material manages to be taut, delicate and sparse with skittering electronics and jazz-inspired drums, as their vocalist Raphelle Standell-Preston’s expressive voice floats, darts through the mix. Their sound manages to leaving an eerily haunting presence.