Photo by Samia Zaidi
“Wrong,” the latest video from atmospheric prog/post-rock outfit SOM, is currently playing courtesy of Prog Magazine. The track comes off the band’s The Shape Of Everything, released earlier this year via Pelagic Records.
Comments SOM vocalist/guitarist Will Benoit, “On an album full of introspective songs, ‘Wrong’ might be those ideas most crystallized. It’s about being a new parent, love, loss, finding the energy to put into the relationships that matter, and the struggle to keep it all balanced. We didn’t plan to shoot this video, but it all came together while we were rehearsing for our upcoming tour when [director] Alex [Pace] started swinging the camera around in such a way that it felt immediate and visceral. The shoot couldn’t have come together more organically, and the video adds a real energy and immediacy that suits the song in such a perfect way.”
Adds Pace, “SOM are a powerful and dynamic band who I have grown to love more and more every time I get to work with them, being at rehearsals only solidified my feelings. ‘Wrong’ is a beautiful song with many layers. Not all of these layers are meant to be up front and immediately prominent as they add texture and depth to the song that may not be noticed but can be felt right away. I wanted to show my experience being surrounded by SOM and how it feels to see what you’re hearing, even if you didn’t notice it at first! I hope this gives other fans a taste of what SOM will be like on their upcoming tour.”
View SOM’s “Wrong” at THIS LOCATION.
View SOM’s previously released videos for “Animals” HERE, “Moment” HERE, and “Center” HERE.
Following the acclaim accrued by their 2018 debut The Fall, SOM — comprised of current and former members of Constants, Junius, and recent Grammy nominees Caspian — had planned to enter the studio in 2020 to record the follow-up. However, pandemic-induced lockdown forced them to improvise and record entirely remotely, producing 2021’s luscious Awake EP. This new workflow redefined SOM’s process, which carried into the completion of The Shape Of Everything. Its concise compositions balance gritty riffs with airy vocal lines that will appeal to fans of Deftones and Tame Impala alike and are just as primed for rock radio as for shoegaze-loving connoisseurs. The intentional, self-imposed paradigm of minimalism, the aim to reduce each musical idea to its emotive essence is what makes the band sound huge — and of course the flawless, modern yet incredibly warm and rich production by Benoit himself at his own Radar Studio in Connecticut, gives SOM’s The Shape Of Everything its compelling power.
The Shape Of Everything is available on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find ordering options at THIS LOCATION. Fans of Deftones, Failure, Hum, Nothing, Slow Crush, Alcest, My Bloody Valentine, Tame Impala, and the like, pay heed.
SOM will return to the stage next month supporting Slow Crush on their North America tour. See all confirmed dates below.
SOM w/ Slow Crush:
5/10/2022 Hi-Dive Denver – Denver, CO
5/11/2022 MiniBar – Kansas City, MO w/ Godzillionaire, The Soiled Doves *
5/12/2022 First Avenue & 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
5/13/2022 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
5/14/2022 Hoosier Dome – Indianapolis, IN
5/15/2022 The Loving Touch – Ferndale, MI
5/17/2022 Big Room Bar – Columbus, OH
5/18/2022 Mahall’s – Cleveland, OH
5/20/2022 Monarch Tavern – Toronto, ONT
5/21/2022 Club SAW – Ottawa, ON
5/22/2022 Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC
5/23/2022 The Middle East- Cambridge, MA w/ Dreamtigers, The Burning Paris *
5/24/2022 PhilaMOCA – Philadelphia, PA
5/25/2022 Elsewhere – Brooklyn, NY @w/ Restless Spirit, Light Tower *
* No Slow Crush
SOM was co-founded by Benoit with drummer and former Constants colleague Duncan Rich, as well as Adai founder and now-Caspian drummer Justin Forrest. While touring on The Fall, the band recruited old friends guitarists Mike Repasch-Nieves and Joel M. Reynolds, both formerly of Junius and Driftoff. While many artists lumbered in inactivity, SOM used the darkness of recent times to create and heal. The Shape of Everything’s introspective bliss is an insight into the kind of harmony the quintet seek to cultivate in all facets of life.
“Thunderous AND dreamy!” — Metal Injection
“…the song recalls bands like Hum and Nothing with its huge riffs and sweet, ethereal vocals, and the video captures that energy with a dramatic love story….” — Revolver on “Center”
“Here is an irresistible catchiness to this collection of songs, yet despite their accessibility they still remain hauntingly beautiful.” – Kerrang
“…heavy/beautiful…” — BrooklynVegan
“SOM deliver an introspective and infallible sophomore album, seducing once again with a sonic duet of the beautiful and the bold as we are invited to take solace in The Shape Of Everything and its comforting, expansive versatility.” — Everything is Noise
“Benoit and company understand and utilize an important aspect of fusion genres—everything’s better when it’s catchy. That means while the general atmosphere never strays too far from being airy and weightless, there’s a ton of song-to-song variability.” — New Noise Magazine
“The Shape of Everything is warm, inviting, and just plain beautiful…a compelling experience.” — Sputnik Music
“…this is a dangerous album. Not because it’s particularly “heavy” or “extreme”, but because it’s so irresistibly hypnotic that once it gets its hooks into you you won’t want to stop playing it, again and again.” — No Clean Singing
“…an album that offers tranquility within its confined space and one that elicits a sense of nirvana you don’t get from most albums. It’s difficult to categorize this album as metal, given the lack of heavy, driven instrumentation and harsh vocals one is more familiar with, but then again, shoegaze is metal-adjacent, and this album has beauty in spades.” — Nine Circles
“…massive in scope, sound and vision. It’s a singular, gargantuan album…” — Rockstar Superhero
“…a whimsical album that is often breathtaking and serves as a great statement of intent for the band to build a legacy from.” — Heavy Blog Is Heavy
“If the namedropping of Jesu, Failure, or Slowdive grabs your attention do yourself a favor and check this album out but expect even greater things still to come.” —Metal Trenches
SOM:
Will Benoit – vocals, guitars
Justin Forrest – bass
Mike Repasch-Nieves – guitars
Joel M. Reynolds – guitars
Duncan Rich – drums
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