Chicago doomgaze quartet REZN are on the eve of releasing their sixth full-length, Cycles in the Infinite Dream, a sprawling, psychedelic opus filled with melody, melancholy and a dreamy, doom-soaked atmosphere. We gave the veteran band—Rob McWilliams (guitar/vocals), Spencer Ouellette (synths/saxophone/lap steel guitar), Phil Cangelosi (bass), Patrick Dunn (drums—who’ve been together for a decade, the opportunity to tell us all the details about the suite of nine tracks that comprise Cycles in the Infinite Dream which is set for release on vinyl, CD and digitally on July 24 via Sargent House. Place your preorder here.
“Rites of Passage”
This was one of the first songs we wrote for the record back in 2023, and the full idea came together in one night. We really were trying to make this song relentless, riff heavy, and with very little room to breathe between each part. The instrumentation is also intentionally synchronized to give you the fattest sound possible, especially at the very end of the song. -Phil
“Transients”
We reworked this song so many times before we landed on the final iteration version. There were versions that focused on spaced-out prog sections and some that had evil melodies over time signature changes. We always knew it was the perfect track for a sax solo though so we kept reworking it up until going into the studio. I actually hated this song so much I didn’t want to put it on the record, but two weeks before recording Rob made the intro riff which became the focal point of the song and the rest just fell into place. -Phil
“Cloudfall”
This song pretty much encapsulates what we are trying to do with this record, which is why it was the obvious choice as the first single. It’s both driving, ethereal, and has a super catchy hook. We challenged ourselves to really boil down our ideas and focus on the core elements in the most concise way, which was a fun contrast to the writing process on our previous albums. – Phil
“Aerial Birth”
The mysterious nature of trees is a theme that is subtly embedded into the album’s overall concept, and when this idea came together it really felt like laying on the ground under a tall tree canopy watching the worlds above. Lyrically it was the perfect place to touch on that in a more literal way, and also lean into the musical aspect of “as above, so below.” The weightlessness of the verses paired really well with the heavy, grounded choruses, which subconsciously mirrors the anatomy of a giant tree from branch to root. – Rob
“Devotion”
At the halfway point of the album, you’re faced with a track that peels away the heavy layers of the record to find a delicate center. The eerie and melancholy guitar melody needed something to give it purpose beyond just a short interlude track, so Spencer worked together with both violin and cello musicians to beautifully orchestrate the song into a beautiful blooming moment. Throughout the song you can hear a crunching sound that slowly dissolves, which is just a recording of me walking through leaves that Spencer modulated until it slowly turns to sonic dust. -Rob
“The Vessel”
On this record we really tried to write some more fast-paced songs for a change, and this song was one of the first that came out of that mentality. The main riff is aggressive and mechanical in a way that pushing the listener forward at breakneck speed. The lyrical themes of regeneration and cyclical patterns also encapsulate the album title and conceptual arc. – Patrick
“Escher”
Escher is our foray into a more dreamy, Americana atmosphere, which is a unique flavor on the record. It offers the listener a chance to take a breath and take in a less dense, more desolate soundscape for a minute. This track is also one of the best showcases of Spencer’s lap steel playing on the record, where he played in a more traditional style and takes center stage on the whole song. – Patrick
“Primal Thread”
We wrote this track with the intent of making melody the central aspect of the song. We paired this idea with another approach that appears more often across the album, which was incorporating faster tempos and chuggier rhythms. When those two concepts were stitched together it created a really interesting structure that has a sharp 90-degree turn in the middle of the song, and it’s quickly become one of our favorites to play live. – Spencer
“Terra Preta”
The final and longest track on the record puts an elegant bow on the completed package. It starts with a tranquil scene set by a choir of coqui frogs that I recorded on the Big Island of Hawaii. Over the course of the seven and a half minute journey it gradually crescendos to a grand cacophony featuring cello, violin, organ, and the newest fixture in the REZN palette: the lap steel guitar. It’s a really nice Pink Floydian track that we needed for the record, and the payoff as a closer feels really good when listening to the album in one sitting. – Spencer
