Before & After

In a world where it often seems like productivity equals value, we are seldom stunned by artists like Brittany Dubson. 

A long-time contributor to Montreal’s underground milieu, he had yet to release a solo album but the complex sentiments felt by listeners only confirm that with time comes meaning and solace. 

Appealing to anyone sensitive to diverging aesthetics weaved as one enveloping sound-substance, the opus could be seen as a conversation between the cathartic beauty of the sea, power plants, the uneasy feeling of looking at an ever-changing starry sky, the brutal fact that relationships must end, the hunger for finding self-love in desperate circumstances.

With restrained but potent imagery, the lyrical content comes in the form of spoken word from his life partner Voiles.

Her poetry magnifies the deep core of the record whilst the instrumental pieces echo and modulate its significance. 

“In the Water” whimsically lets us into a subaquatic hall where bubble bleeps and buoyant bass are fertile allies for a wet mess to emerge from. 

“Géodésique”’s reminiscence of long-lost love evokes the profound rift between grief and acceptance. The poignant electric guitar shreds our hearts to pieces while the synth arpeggio uplifts and heals.

“Before and After” undoubtedly is one the highlights on this album. Its tidal flow leads us into the bitter-sweetest of ballads and builds around glitchy tension and soulful release. A true testimony that emotion lies dead center in Dubson’s musick. 

“Highly of You” concludes perfectly by acting as a last hymn-dance; break-beat rhythms laced with cinematic vocal samples binds the listener’s mind and heart. The seaplane lands softly, leaving us soothed but eager to find ourselves again, in this precious moment. 

Imagine the Before & After, as lovers do.

Pressed at Seabass Vinyl, Edinburgh
Mastered by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier
Edition of 300