Shy, Low share a documentary on the writing and recording process of »Snake Behind The Sun«

Richmond, Virginia based instrumental sludge/post-rock band Shy, Low share a documentary on the writing and recording process of »Snake Behind The Sun«.
Their fifth full-length album, »Snake Behind The Sun«, was released on October 8, 2021 via Pelagic Records.
The band comments: “We are forever thankful for the experience had during the recording of these songs, with Mike Watts, Kevin Preller and Frank Mitaritonna at the helm. Vudu Studios was home to us for the entirety of March 2020, and we couldn’t have asked for a better environment and team to work with when it came to translating our vision for the sound of this record into what it has become.”
Buy / download / stream here:
listen.pelagic-records.com/shylow-snakebehindthesun
Courtesy of Earsplit PR:
Shy, Low are true masters of the exquisite craft of stark contrasts and broad dynamics, from delicate crescendos to the grandiose power of the riff… a craft that lies at the heart of every outstanding instrumental rock record. The Richmond, Virginia based four-piece has made an absolutely incredible and epic album brimming with creativity, groove, heaviness and truly outstanding songwriting – a record that is intricate and mature, yet gloriously anthemic at the same time.
The fantastic cinematic and (surprisingly, so) entirely self-produced first music video for the track »Helioentropy«, premiered at Roadburn Redux this year, was only a tastemaker for the 5th studio album and Pelagic debut, »Snake Behind The Sun«.
Recorded, mixed and produced at Vudu Studios in Long Island, NY by Mike Watts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, GlassJaw, Hopesfall, Tides of Man), the album pulls from elements from previous eras of the band, but also pushes into new territory. The result is a slicker, more modern, layered and 3-dimensional sound.
“The recipe for achieving that began with a lot of pre-production on our end,” comments guitarist Zak Bryant. “We demoed the entire record at home prior to entering the studio, re- working some songs several times before calling them done. From there, it was Mike (Watts). After hearing his work with bands like O’Brother, Lume, Glassjaw, and others, we grew very fond of the drum sounds he got, and his ear for overall mix balance and production.”
The other important ingredient was drummer Dylan Partridge, who at the time of recording was a commissioned drummer and is now a fix band member – and the phenomenal drum room at Vudu Studios. These two elements were crucial in creating the overall vibe and atmosphere for the record. “Hunkering down in the studio for 3 weeks to track the record was extremely beneficial and something none of us had done in the past – it gave us the ability to really fine tune the songs alongside a producer, and the ability to experiment with various gear not normally at our disposal,” says Bryant.
The album title is a metaphor for the notion that darkness and negativity can remain hidden even among seemingly positive forces and positive beings in one’s life. As a matter of fact, the snake crawled out from behind the sun, while the band was in the studio recording the album: “By week 3, there were talks of NY state locking down due to the rapid rise in Covid cases; with one day left before the lock down was alleged to go into effect, it became a mad dash to finish tracking the record so we could book it home to Richmond, Virginia,” says bass player Drew Storcks.
Though entirely instrumental, reducing the band’s contemporary sound to the term “post-rock” wouldn’t do this record justice: there is much more to it than lengthy dramatic build-ups and bittersweet melodies played by delay-drenched guitars. »Snake Behind The Sun« is an astounding and immensely diverse record that will appeal to fans sitting on all ends of the broad spectrum of modern heavy rock music.
Shy, Low is:
Greg Peterson – Guitar
Zak Bryant – Guitar
Drew Storcks – Bass
Dylan Partridge – Drums
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well