Just glancing at the track list of ‘Apocryphal Gravity’ is enough to put you in an otherworldly state of mind. References to ‘Aphrodite Terra’, ‘Doom Mons’ and ‘Deimos’ – the names of a region of Venus, a mountain range on Titan and a natural satellite of Mars respectively – set an appropriate tone for a record that leaves you drifting off into space without you even realising it. While the title of this record may suggest that Swiss four-piece Hubris have some doubts about the validity of gravity, there’s no doubting the magnetic pull of this record.
It’s typical in post-rock to find bands building slowly to an inevitable crescendo before letting the dust settle in time to repeat the pattern again. Hubris don’t follow this theme choosing instead to remain fluid and unconstrained with the directions of their songs. This makes the record a fully immersive journey from start to finish that demands to be consumed as one complete package and feels incomplete if you take any individual song in isolation.
Two-part track ‘Beyond Styx’ begins our journey to the stars with steadily increasing layers of ambient guitars that begin with plenty of open space before converging into a beautifully interlinked sequence of harmonies. If you close your eyes as the record flows into ‘Aphrodite Terra’ the ethereal tones could convince you that you’re leaving the Earth’s atmosphere, surrounded by the comforting glow of luscious chords and warm bass tones.
The guitars are often drawn out and slow to build, but the drums sustain a continuously pulsating rhythm that affords the strings the freedom and time to bathe in delay and shine with atmospheric vibrancy. The ever galloping rhythm section becomes the physical guide that leads you through the more spiritual realms of the guitars’ ambience and by anchoring your foot to the floor with a steady pattern, the drums prevent the record from ever seeming too drawn out, stagnant or repetitive. Not only will the instrumentals satisfy the dream-chasing post-rock enthusiasts, but thanks to the subtle, yet intelligently constructed time signature changes, there’s plenty on show to please the critical ears of complexity-seeking musicians as well.
This record has the ability to alter your mood with its soothing tones and uplifting melodies, making it difficult to oppose its sense of wonder and positivity, It is possible to use ‘Apocryphal Gravity’ as pleasing background music, but to do so would overlook all of the record’s many intricate details. In today’s society it’s rare that we allow ourselves a break from the frantic pace of our lives to simply pause and reflect. If you can’t remember the last time you sat in a remote space and absorbed a record without any other distractions, now is the time to change that. Find a quiet room, put on a comfortable pair of headphones and allow Hubris to take you on an uplifting journey to other worlds. This is a trip that you don’t want to miss out on.
MARK JOHNSON