Pray for Sound is a band with a knack for telling wordless stories. A solo project by Bruce Malley originally conceived to help him work through hearing loss in his left ear, Pray for Sound is now a five person effort crafting beautiful instrumental post-rock.
The quintet is gearing up to release their new album, Everything Is Beautiful, on September 23. The album highlights the differences between dark and light, and “I Have Seen Hell And It’s White” does a nice job doing just that as the song rises to loud peaks and subsequently falls to quiet reflection.
The rising and falling was Pray For Sound’s intent, setting a tone for the album, according to guitarist Nick Stewart.
“The main theme of Everything Is Beautiful is the dichotomy between light and dark, and “I Have Seen Hell And It’s White” became a very dark, very aggressive core for the album,” Stewart says. “The song is full of moments that constantly contrast dynamically, and drag out longer than expected, only to be abruptly cut short. We felt like trying to write a song that took the listener on an unexpected journey through contrasting themes. The arrangement was worked out in a live practice, and we tried to capture the excitement we felt writing it, both in the overall structure of the song and the finished recording.”
Everything Is Beautiful hits the streets on September 23 through I Am Shark. Preorders are live now, though, so you don’t have to wait to order.