Singaporean screamo band Naedr have released a split EP with Chicago-based band Crowning, ‘Rayau’.
The project arrived May 30 via Zegema Beach Records and Left Hand Label. Naedr contributed three tracks on the split, namely ‘Lacrimosa’, ‘Eclipse’ and previously released single ‘Ascension’.
‘Lacrimosa’ and ‘Ascension’ are two hard-hitting tracks which explode in a full-volume assault, while ‘Eclipse’ takes on a slower instrumental approach with spoken word. The three tracks were recorded at Snakeweed Studios by Leonard Soosay and Ahmad Ariff. The former also mixed the songs.
In a press statement, Naedr said that the material on ‘Rayau’ is dedicated to a deceased friend. “We were affected by the passing of a close friend of the band’s – so we decided to write a small set of songs in memory of him. The lyrics were reflections on how it felt like searching for something that wasn’t there, and the word ‘Rayau’ [‘wander’ in Malay] felt like it summed up that feeling very well.”
Listen to Naedr’s songs on ‘Rayau’ here.
The split is also available on vinyl, which can be purchased via Naedr’s Bandcamp page. Pressed on a purple mixed marble wax, the 12-inch vinyl is limited to 200 pieces only.
Crowning contributed four tracks to the split: ‘Shangri-La’, ‘Avalon’, ‘Elysium’ and ‘Quivera’. “Crowning’s 2020 album ‘Survival / Sickness’ is definitely one of the most abrasive and intense screamo releases in recent years,” Naedr wrote on Instagram. “We’re thankful to have this chance to split with such a great band and released by the wonderful, beautiful people over at Zegema Beach Records and Left Hand Label.”
Naedr formed in 2019, comprising members from notable hardcore and rock bands in Singapore such as Paris In The Making, susurrus, Amateur Takes Control, Bethari and hauste.
The following year, the quintet released their debut album ‘Past Is Prologue’ – which made it to NME’s list of the best Asian albums of 2020. The nine-track album included tracks like ‘The Waltz of Fate’ and ‘The Prodigal Son’.