Deep in the Iris | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 27 April 2015 (Europe) 28 April 2015 (North America) | |||
Recorded | Arizona, New York, Vermont, 2014 | |||
Genre | Electronic, art rock, dream pop, indietronica | |||
Length | 41:23 | |||
Label | Arbutus Records, Flemish Eye | |||
Producer | Braids, Damian Taylor | |||
Braids chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Deep in the Iris | ||||
|
Deep in the Iris is the third studio album by Canadian experimental pop/art rock band Braids. It was released by Arbutus Records worldwide, excluding Canada where it was released by Flemish Eye, on 28 April 2015. It has been described as the band's "sunniest and most immediate record". [1]
Braids began writing Deep in the Iris in tandem with their second album Flourish // Perish , [2] performing unreleased new songs live in 2012 and 2013, with "Blondie" being the earliest-surviving song to be included on the album. [3] Writing and recording officially began in March 2014 for seven weeks in a cabin in woods near Prescott, Arizona, [4] marking the first time the band had worked on an album outside Canada. [5] After recording Flourish // Perish in their windowless garage in Montreal, [6] Arizona was chosen because the band "wanted to leave winter, to leave what we were familiar with, to go to a place where we felt sunlight on our face". [7] Taylor Smith revealed that the band focused on the process of songwriting, rather than the expectation which comes with recording an album, explaining, "the expectation was to have a beautiful experience together and if a record comes out of that beautiful experience, great!". [8] In the first few weeks in Arizona, the band "just went on walks, had talks, roasted marshmallows and chopped firewood and went grocery shopping and cooked meals" in an effort to reconnect after touring Flourish // Perish. [8] The band interrupted the writing process to tour across the United States with Wye Oak for three weeks in May 2014, [9] debuting new songs "Taste" and "Letting Go". [10]
The band cut back on the electronic elements which featured on Flourish // Perish and instead refocused on using live instruments, as on their debut album Native Speaker . [8] "Really cool, interesting-sounding pianos" were utilised. [6] Further sessions followed in Delhi, New York and Putney, Vermont in June and July 2014. [4] The "space and beauty" of the retreat in New York, coupled with the energy provided by the presence of the band's friends from Montreal and New York City, helped evolve "Happy When" and "Miniskirt", [8] the latter being the final song written for the album. [4] The album was tracked in Vermont in a turn-of-the-century house, specifically chosen because it contained a Steinway piano. [4] Three additional songs were recorded, but were left off the album. [10] "Sweet World" (played live regularly in 2013 and 2014) was considered for the album, but "just didn’t fit with the whole vision of it". [10]
Mixing began with Damian Taylor at Golden Ratio Studios in Montreal in late September 2014, [11] with the sessions concluding in December. [12] With the band having done some preliminary mixing, Taylor's main contribution was to make Raphaelle Standell-Preston's vocals more prominent in the mix. [8] The album's title and track list were announced on February 10, 2015, with opening single "Miniskirt" made available for streaming on the same day. [13] Second song "Taste" was shared on SoundCloud on 4 March. [14] The album was released by Arbutus Records and Flemish Eye in Europe on 27 April 2015 and the following day in North America. [15]
Prior to the beginning of recording, drummer Austin Tufts revealed he had been listening to performed music (as opposed to programmed), such as Little Dragon, Disclosure, Portico, Bonobo, Radiohead, R&B and soul. [3] Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette influenced Standell-Preston vocally. [8]
A press release described "pornography, abuse and slutshaming" as themes evident in Standell-Preston's lyrics. [1] "Miniskirt" deals with her "as a woman at this point in my life; getting older and discussing what I do experience as a woman and what I’ve gone through". [8] The song is also about "standing up for gender equality and in particular, for women’s rights". [6]
Tufts took the album's cover photograph in Vermont, a view through a culvert looking down into a creek. [10]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Consequence of Sound | B+ [17] |
DIY | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Exclaim! | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Irish Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Now | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Paste | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | (7.4/10) [24] |
PopMatters | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tiny Mix Tapes | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Under the Radar | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Upon its release, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Aggregating website AnyDecentMusic? reported a score of 7.3 based on 19 professional reviews, [30] while Metacritic reported 78 based on 18 professional reviews. [31]
The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. [32]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Letting Go" | 4:21 |
2. | "Taste" | 5:00 |
3. | "Blondie" | 4:25 |
4. | "Happy When" | 5:39 |
5. | "Miniskirt" | 4:54 |
6. | "Getting Tired" | 3:31 |
7. | "Sore Eyes" | 3:52 |
8. | "Bunny Rose" | 5:18 |
9. | "Warm Like Summer" | 4:23 |
Total length: | 41:23 |
Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They have released ten studio albums, all but the first featuring the current line-up.
The Dandy Warhols are an American psychedelic/alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer. The band's name is a play on the name of American pop artist Andy Warhol.
Music from the Adventures of Pete & Pete is a studio album by the band Polaris, a one-off project involving members of the late 1980s and early 1990s band Miracle Legion, released on April 6, 1999. It features twelve songs composed by the band between 1992 and 1995 for the Nickelodeon television series, The Adventures of Pete & Pete. The album remains the only full-length release by Polaris.
"Dirty Water" is a song by the American rock band The Standells, written by their producer Ed Cobb. The song is a mock paean to the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River.
Frame & Canvas is the third studio album by American rock band Braid. It was released on April 7, 1998, through Polyvinyl Record Co. After the release of the band's second studio album, The Age of Octeen (1996), drummer Damon Atkinson replaced Roy Ewing due to him being unable to commit to touring. Recording sessions took place at Inner Ear Studios in December 1997, with J. Robbins helping with production during the sessions. The album is an emo and post-hardcore release, for which the lyrics were co-written by vocalist/guitarists Chris Broach and Bob Nanna, or solely wrote by Nanna.
Frog Eyes are an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada fronted by Carey Mercer. Their 2010 album Paul's Tomb: A Triumph was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. They have released eight albums and two EPs and are noted for their collaboration with Dan Bejar of Destroyer.
Braids is a Canadian art rock band originating from Calgary, Alberta and based in Montréal, Québec for most of their career. Braids currently consists of Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith. The band met at a young age and began collaborating in high school. Their debut album, Native Speaker, was released on January 18, 2011, in Canada and the United States to generally positive reviews. The album was shortlisted for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. The band's second album, Flourish // Perish, was released on August 20, 2013. Their third, Deep in the Iris, was released on April 28, 2015, and was awarded the 2015 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.
Native Speaker is the debut studio album by the Canadian experimental pop/art rock band Braids, released by Flemish Eye/Kanine Records on January 18, 2011 to critical acclaim.
This Means War is the third studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was released on January 17, 2012, through Rise Records. Initially scheduled to be produced by John Feldmann, production was instead handled by frontman Caleb Shomo in his home studio, making it the band's only album not to be produced by Joey Sturgis.
Purity Ring is a Canadian electronic pop band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, formed in 2010. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist/producer Corin Roddick and vocalist Megan James. They released their debut album Shrines in 2012 to critical acclaim, followed by Another Eternity in 2015 and Womb in 2020. The band released an EP, Graves, on June 3, 2022.
Being as an Ocean is an American post-hardcore band from Alpine, California, formed in 2011. They have released five studio albums: Dear G-d..., How We Both Wondrously Perish, a self-titled album, Waiting for Morning to Come, released on 8 September 2017, and PROXY: An A.N.I.M.O. Story, released in 2019. How We Both Wondrously Perish was released in May 2014 and charted at number 57 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.
"You (Ha Ha Ha)" is a song by British singer Charli XCX taken from her major label debut studio album, True Romance (2013). It was released as the album's 4th single in February 2013, along with several remixes. A music video for the song was released on YouTube on 10 January 2013.
Blue Hawaii are a Canadian electronic music duo from Montreal, Quebec, composed of Braids member Raphaelle "Ra" Standell-Preston and Alexander Kirby. They have released an EP, Blooming Summer (2010) and three studio albums, Untogether (2013), Tenderness (2017) and Open Reduction Internal Fixation (2019) all on Arbutus Records. The first two albums were nominated for the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year.
Olympia is the second studio album by Canadian electronic music band Austra, released on June 17, 2013, by Domino. Olympia spawned three singles: "Home", "Painful Like" and "Forgive Me". The album received largely positive reviews from critics, who said that it had more "bombastic throb" compared to its predecessor while still showcasing lead singer Katie Stelmanis's "classically trained, massive voice", adding that it was "clean, considered, with every detail in its place and a clear sense of its own identity."
Flourish // Perish is the second studio album by the Canadian experimental pop/art rock band Braids, released by Arbutus Records, Full Time Hobby and Flemish Eye on August 20, 2013.
Seaway is a Canadian rock band from Oakville, Ontario signed to Pure Noise Records and Dine Alone Records. The band has released three EPs and four studio albums.
Raphaelle Standell-Preston is a Canadian musician and songwriter, currently the frontwoman of Braids and Blue Hawaii. She releases solo music under the name Indiensoci. Her vocal style has been described as slipping "from exquisite sweetness to Björk-like yelps".
FFS is the only studio album by Scottish-American supergroup FFS, consisting of members from the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand and the American band Sparks. It was released on 8 June 2015 through Domino. The album was recorded during a 15-day period in late 2014 at RAK Studios in London and was produced by Grammy Award-winning record producer John Congleton. Although the album itself was recorded in 2014, the two bands first met each other in mid-2000s. Upon release, the album received positive reviews from music critics.
The 2015 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2015 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The event was hosted by children's entertainer Fred Penner.
Since the late 2000s, numerous musical artists from the neighborhood of Mile End, Montreal have recorded, released and performed what the press has considered to be weird, experimental, DIY music of a variety of styles. All of these acts that are considered a part of the DIY scene initially played their music at parties only around the Montreal area, but it wasn't until the year of the release of singer-songwriter Grimes' album Visions (2012) that the subculture garnered attention worldwide.