Today Drab Majesty release new mini-album, ‘An Object in Motion’ via Dais Records— available to stream in full now— with physical copies set to follow on September 22nd.
An Object in Motion marks the start of a stirring new chapter in Drab Majesty’s majestic legacy. Written during a 2021 retreat to the remote coastal Oregon town of Yachats, Deb Demure leaned into the neo-psychedelic resonance of a uniquely bowl-shaped 12-string Ovation acoustic/electric guitar. After early morning hikes in the rain, Deb would record ambient guitar experiments the rest of the day, tapping into “flow states,” letting the sound lead the way. These sessions were then refined or recreated, and later elevated further with key collaborations by Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Justin Meldal-Johnson (Beck, M83, Air), and Ben Greenberg (Uniform, Circular Ruin Studio). An Object In Motion is true to its title, capturing the chrysalis moment of an artist evolving, reborn and untethered, silhouetted against an open horizon.
“Cape Perpetua” showcases the collection’s divergent palette: sparkling acoustic finger-picking refracted through delay, equal parts raga and reverie. Melodies and moods congeal and dissipate, at the threshold of rustic American primitivism, brooding neo-folk, and pastoral melancholia. “The Skin And The Glove” deploys jangle to different effect – baggy, soaring, grey-skied kaleidoscopic pop in the spirit of Stone Roses, Primal Scream, and The Glove. Rachel Goswell lends her iconic freefall voice to the Cure-esque ballad, “Vanity,” infusing poetic gravity to the doomed refrain: “If the valve breaks / then the earth quakes / and history finds a way / to put you in your place.”
But closing track “Yield To Force” may be the most anomalous offering of the set. A 15-minute instrumental odyssey of cyclical strings, ominous slide guitar, and simmering synthesizer, the piece sways and spirals like a long zoom into distant storm clouds. Demure finesses the guitar with a restless but regal grandeur, unfolding a panorama of peaks, shadows, and plateaus. It’s music both intuitive and prophetic, tracing the slow swing of pendulums across an endless plain. Taken as a whole, An Object In Motion presents a showcase of potential futures from Drab’s evolving domain, their sound poised to bloom at the precipice of transformation.
Drab Majesty live dates:
Oct 20 – Stockholm, Sweden @ HUS7
Oct 21 – Helsinki, Finland @ Ääniwalli
Oct 22 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
Oct 25 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Musicbox
Oct 26 – Porto, Portugal @ Hardclub
Oct 27 – Madrid, Spain @ La Paqui
Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo 2
Oct 30 – Nantes, France @ Le Ferrailleur
Oct 31 – Paris, France @ La Marbrerie
Nov 1 – Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland @ L’Amalgame
Nov 2 – Milan, Italy @ Barrio’s
Nov 4 – Bologna, Italy @ TPO
Nov 18 – Huntington Beach, CA @ Darker Waves
