Bristol progressive post-rock artist Maebe (aka Michael Astley-Brown) is pleased to announce his forthcoming second album Rebirth. Relive. Repeat. set for release on 21st July 2023.
To celebrate the news, the virtuoso guitarist has revealed a video for the album’s lead single ‘Harsh Realm’ which is released on 17th April 2023.
A fitting introduction to the sonic strides Maebe has taken on the new record, ‘Harsh Realm’ is a heady mix of angular math-rock grooves, hard-hitting solos, and sledgehammer riffs.
“My goal was to take the Maebe sound to new extremes in every direction,” says Astley-Brown of the new release. “It’s heavier, groovier, dreamier, more aggressive. But crucially, the melody is always at the forefront. I wanted to create instrumental songs with hooks that really stick in your head, and with Rebirth. Relive. Repeat. I think I’ve achieved that.”
Rebirth. Relive. Repeat. is the name of the second album from progressive post-rock artist Maebe, but it’s also something of a mantra for its creator, longtime guitar journalist Michael Astley-Brown. It’s named after the cyclical nature of mental health—that continual balance of damage and determination—and something MAB kept in mind as he honed his new material.
Written, recorded, produced and mixed by MAB in Bristol, UK, and mastered by Tom Peters (Alpha Male Tea Party, Last Hyena, A Burial at Sea), Rebirth. Relive. Repeat. offers an expansive take on instrumental guitar music that touches on prog, post-rock, math-rock and even shred, but never settles on one genre for long, letting the melody guide the song where it wants to go.
While MAB’s sophomore effort was taking shape, Maebe became a living, breathing organism with the birth of a devastating five-piece live band, who road-tested much of the new material in shows with the likes of Orchards, Standards and Bicurious. With the arrival of the new lineup and collaborative material already in the works, Rebirth. Relive. Repeat. is likely to be MAB’s final solo effort, and he considers it to be his definitive statement.
“This album sounds bigger and hits harder than I could have ever anticipated,” says Astley-Brown. “I’m immensely proud of it, particularly as it draws a through-line from melodic shred to modern-day math-rock in a way I believe few artists have explored.”
Maebe’s live lineup will play their debut headline show on 10th May at The Electric Bar, Komedia Bath with support from fellow experimental rockers Last Hyena, and further live dates will be announced over the coming months.
Rebirth. Relive. Repeat. is released on 14th July 2023
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Nh0vat8CK2k1V6waHMTQL
Bandcamp: maebe.bandcamp.com
Facebook: facebook.com/maebemusic
YouTube: youtube.com/c/maebe
Instagram: instagram.com/maebe.music
