Description

Biffy Clyro will release the surprise new project lsquoThe Myth of the Happily Ever Afterrsquo on October 22nd. The record is a homegrown project that represents a reaction to their 1 album lsquoA Celebration of Endingsrsquo and a rapid emotional response to the turmoil of the past year. It is the ying to the yang of lsquoA Celebrationrsquo, the othersideofacoin, a beforeandafter comparison their early optimism of 2020 having been brought back to earth with a resounding thud. Itrsquos the product of a strange and cruel time in our lives, but one that ultimately reinvigorated Biffy Clyro.ldquoThis is a reaction to lsquoA Celebration of Endingsrsquo,rdquo says vocalist guitarist Simon Neil. ldquoThis album is a real journey, a collision of every thought and emotion wersquove had over the past eighteen months. There was a real fortitude in lsquoA Celebrationrsquo but in this record wersquore embracing the vulnerabilities of being a band and being a human in this twisted era of our lives. Even the title is the polar opposite. Itrsquos asking, do we create these narratives in our own minds to give us some security when none of us know whatrsquos waiting for us at the end of the dayrdquoGrounded by lockdown, Biffy Clyro recorded lsquoThe Mythrsquo in a completely different way to how they approached lsquoA Celebrationsrsquo. Rather than spending months in Los Angeles, they traded one West Coast for another by recording for just six weeks in their rehearsal room converted DIY style into a fully functional studio by rhythm section brothers James and Ben Johnston in a farmhouse closer to their homes.The trio went in with the intention of completing some unfinished songs from lsquoA Celebrationrsquo, but instead lsquoThe Mythrsquo took over as it started to take shape late in 2020, with everything written and recorded within a tenmile radius. Traditionally, 90 of Biffy songs have been written in Scotland before the band head to London or Los Angeles for recording, but this represented the first time theyrsquove ever recorded in their homeland. As Simon jokes, ldquoItrsquos our first fullon tartan albumrdquolsquoThe Mythrsquo blends experimental flourishes with flashes of old school Biffy. lsquoExistedrsquo is the moment that shaped the record an elegant expression of selfdoubt that redefines the sonics of the bandrsquos catalogue of vulnerable slowburners, while lsquoDumDumrsquo is an even bigger departure, having been constructed primarily around soft synths sampled from Simonrsquos voice. And lsquoSlurpy Slurpy Sleep Sleeprsquo is just as audacious a closer as lsquoCop Syruprsquo from lsquoA Celebrationrsquo. It also represents one of a selection of ldquoeaster eggsrdquo or ldquoturns of phraserdquo that subtly complement and contrast the two records.At the other extreme, devoted fans will connect with the feral anger of lsquoA Hunger In Your Hauntrsquo, the arenascaled drama of lsquoErrors In The History of Godrsquo and the sheer catchiness of lsquoWitchrsquos Cuprsquo.Trifold card digisleeve with 2 CDs including the new album and A Celebration of Endings Live Biffy Clyro CD is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £13