"Traversée"
The new À Terre EP
À Terre just finished their new EP "Traversée". They are going to release the digital version on February 21st. The CD will follow on March 14th. I was one of the lucky ones who already had the chance to listen to the three songs, and I would now like to recommend them to you.
Some of you might already know À Terre from my review of their last record. The new one is quite on-point again. You should definitely give it a try – no matter if you are already a fan or still new to the magical dark realm of the band, founded in October 2020 in the Aquitaine, France.
Inspired by the historical Aquitaine region
The historical region in the southwestern stretch of France, close to Spain and the Atlantic Ocean, had a significant influence on the five band members, who feel a strong connection to this area. The strong contrasts of Aquitaine's diverse landscape, the oceanic climate and the variety of historical and cultural treasures reflect in the three songs on the new EP "Traversée".
Their characteristic sound, which À Terre already shaped with their predecessor "Notre Ciel Noir", lights up again on this record. The band even managed to raise it to a new level. Their heavy and wonderful post-metal lives from intense and passionate spheres full of hypnotic moments and dream sequences.
Here is what À Terre say about "Traversée":
"In our lyrics, we combine the personal with the universal. We want to invite our listeners to introspection and to confrontation with this dark and melancholic side that we all struggle with from time to time."
Three authentic post-metal songs
The step into this dark and, at the same time, deeply romantic world already succeeds with the first notes on "Traversée". I immediately feel drawn into it, seeing the mystique and varied home of the tracks in my mind's eye for the next 20 minutes. I like this excursion very much, and I gladly let myself go into this reflective space between the worlds for a few moments.
The three songs are more than authentic. To me, they sound open, honest and personal. À Terre reveal a very natural part of themselves that most humans keep to themselves forever – opening the door for a decisive pause of calm and togetherness.
Gloomy and, at the same time, energetic parts are taking turns to tender interludes that are repeatedly shredded and then brought back. The band's emotionally charged play leaves you deeply happy – giving you pleasant shivers when listening to them.
Melancholy is important
We all shouldn't forget that melancholy is an essential part of life. Members of projects like Cult of Luna, Amenra, Year Of No Light, Deftones, and Converge, who the five call their idols, also know this very well.
With "Traversée", À Terre have done everything right – from the first note to the last. The band puts this into words like this:
"With our second record, we're diving deeper into our artistic project – on the personal, the musical and also on the technical level."
The band recorded the new EP in no time – just like "Notre Ciel Noir", which the critics loved.
Following the success of "Notre Ciel Noir", À Terre worked on their show together with Petit Fantôme and Jean-Michel Labadie from Gojira during a resident at the Atabal music venue in Biarritz. This creative exchange and the shared experience influenced them when recording their new EP, which you can listen to on all known music platforms from February 28th.