adeus by indignu

Official 'urge decifrar no céu' video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YOoLyS_Pnc

Order LP (EU - dunk!records): https://bit.ly/indignu-adeus-lp-eu
Order LP (US - A Thousand Arms): https://bit.ly/indignu-adeus-lp-us

Four years after their last release, umbra, the long-standing Portuguese post-rock band indignu is returning to a much different world than the one we lived in last we heard from them, one that has taken more than many of us were prepared for, but perhaps also gave back to us in the form of a reshaped perspective on life’s preciousness. In that spirit, adeus is an album inspired by loss and distance but rooted in the desire to walk through open doors and embrace whatever life holds in store for us. Adeus is the Portuguese term for farewell, a sweeping word of parting that traverses the passing of loved ones and the erosion of friendships as well it does the warm promise of future meetings and bold steps into exciting new territories, and it is this broader idea that indignu hopes to capture throughout the album’s five tracks. Listeners will find these veteran artists intuitively navigating the delicate balance of solemnity and exhilaration, making adeus an album with the capability of nursing pain and fostering hope within the span of a single sitting.

Of course, as a wordless record these expressions must be made via tones, textures, and measured dynamics carefully balancing melancholy and vitality in a way that allows the borders between the two to intermingle and reflect on one another. This can be heard deftly executed on the fourteen and a half minute “devolução da essência do ser,” which translates to “returning to the essence of being,” a journey of the self that we can relate to now potentially more than at any other previous moment in our lifetime. The songwriting lends itself to this passage, moving gradually from the subdued, elegiac opening minutes into a midsection marked by escalating incandescence, and finally landing upon a bright and buoyant climactic outpouring. The progression of the song suggests a healthy, positive outlook from the band, taking the time to acknowledge the despair and heartache we all must face while ultimately focusing their energy toward a finale that is exuberantly alive and thriving.

After a shorter, quieter track surveying soundscapes focused on softness and tranquility, the album enters its back half with two more longform pieces that harken back to the elegantly poised equilibrium on display on “devolução da essência do ser.” The difference with “sempre que a partida vier” and “urge decifrar no céu” is that while they share the same deliberate pacing in the way in which they unfold, the overall tonality is more unfalteringly triumphant, even in the more hushed moments. The only instance of vocals shows up during the latter track as a group chant-along bridges the song into the airy outro that gently ushers listeners to the conclusion of the album. These moments are brief, but they signify a camaraderie that proves to be what ties the record together thematically. Indeed, loss and pain can act as the flint igniting creative expression, but it is the fellowship facilitated by that creativity that grants it impetus, meaning, and ultimately great power. With adeus, indignu invites listeners not to simply bear witness to their work, but to be an active participant in a greater process, using music as a beacon to bring us back together from out of the darkness we’ve collectively experienced during the past two years.

Based in a small but artistically prominent Portuguese town, indignu gathered international exposure with their albums Odyssea and adeus.

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