“To sleep: perchance to dream,” Shakespeare famously wrote in Hamlet. Easier said than done for some, however. Portland’s proggy post-metal duo Semuta are grappling with this very topic—insomnia and the active mind—on new full-length, their second, Thoughtless/Dreamless. We’re premiering the sprawling, nearly 10-minute title track here, unfurling its sonic beauty, via a lyric video. The album, crafted by Benjamin Caragol (guitar/bass//vocals) and Ben Stoller (drums/synth), follows up 2024’s Glacial Erratic and is an entrancing collection of dense, diverse tracks filled with quiet-loud dynamics and effortless playing.
Thoughtless/Dreamless was recorded and mixed by Scott Evans (Neurosis, Kowloon Walled City) and mastered by Brad Boatright (Portrayal of Guilt, Torche). It’s set for release on vinyl, cassette and digitally via Accident Prone Records on October 9. Place your preorder here.
Caragol described the origin of the track:
“This song is about insomnia. I often wake up in the middle of the night with my mind racing, and am unable to find my way back to sleep. In those moments all I want is to be thoughtless and dreamless, without all the worries about my little life and the world at large.
“‘Thoughtless/Dreamless’ has the most range of anything we’ve written. It begins with swelling atmosphere, trudges through several mid-tempo moody parts, blasts through a passage of odd times and death metal vocals, and ends in some sludgey and triumphant major chords. The song requires some patience, but it encompasses everything we have done while covering new ground as well.”
