Legendary Northern Ireland based instrumental outfit And So I Watch You From Afar has shared “I Dive Pt1” & “II Dive Pt2”, appearing on their ambitious upcoming multimedia album Jettison. The latest offering from the group will be available on February 18th, 2022 via Velocity Records in partnership with Equal Vision Records. Through 40 minutes of sonic exploration spread across nine distinct parts and a visual accompaniment by artist Sam Wiehl, Jettison traverses the various shades of ASIWYFA’s euphoric instrumental output. The Arco String Quartet adds moments of ethereal elegance, juxtaposed against cryptic dialogue by Emma Ruth Rundle and Neil Fallon throughout the album, which is available for pre-order here.
Peaceful opening piano chords and orchestral stirrings punctuate debut single “I Dive Pt1” before the lift-off commences on “II Dive Pt2″, where guitarists Rory Friers and Niall Kennedy are joined by their compatriots Chris Wee on drums and Johnny Adger on bass. “I Dive Pt1” introduces a mesmerizing spoken word element courtesy of Emma Ruth Rundle, while “II Dive Pt2” offers the listener a more straightforward (albeit brilliantly nuanced) version of the band’s serpentine arrangement styles and esoteric melodic sensibility.
On the scope of their latest work, the band had this to say:
“Nothing in our repertoire comes close to the ambition of this latest project—the multimedia piece Jettison. The album is a memorable experience that transports the listener away from the tumultuous times and into a blissful musical utopia.”
The band will embark on a headlining tour supporting Jettison across Europe and the UK early next year, a full itinerary is available below. You can pre-order the album here.
ALBUM TRACKLIST
1. I Dive Pt
2. II Dive Pt 2
3. III Lung
4. IV In Air
5. V Hold
6. VI Submerge
7. VII Emerge
8. VIII Jettison
9. IX A.D. Poet
ABOUT ASIWYFA
Ireland’s instrumental rock quartet And So I Watch You From Afar has defied the layman’s definition of post-rock by absorbing new ideas and pushing the boundaries of their intricate and ecstatic guitar-based compositions. Crashing out of the gate with the big-riff worship and arena-level melodic heroics of their eponymous debut, ASIWYFA have continuously introduced new spins on their original sound while simultaneously expanding their sonic palette with every new album, taking in and repurposing everything from African highlife to Irish trad to the weirdo math-rock of the late ‘90s / early ‘00s. Their upcoming multi-media piece Jettison was conceived by And So I Watch You From Afar’s guitarist Rory Friers and brought to life by the band, orchestrator Connor O’Boyle, the Arco String Quartet, and visual artist Sam Wiehl. Jettison is a fusion of ASIWYFA’s life-affirming musical acrobatics, the sweeping grandeur of film scores, and the surreal and sublime capabilities of moving pictures
Jettison is by no means a normal ASIWYFA album. Rather, it is a very deliberate departure as opposed to an evolutionary step to increasingly ambitious, complex, and conceptual work. The full Jettison experience, replete with Wiehl’s visuals and the string accompaniments, will only happen occasionally, such as the full-house October 2021 performance at The Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre. Yet even in the album format, Jettison is a special experience, one that transports the listener away from the tumultuous times and into a blissful musical utopia. Equal Vision Records is proud to present this document of the aural component of Jettison to the world on CD, LP, and digital platforms on February 18, 2022.