Somewhat out of the blue, progressive metalcore mainstays and color-obsessives Between the Buried and Me have just unveiled all the details for their next album, The Blue Nowhere
. The veteran band confirmed the record drops in September and previewed the platter via first single “Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark.”
“This track emerged from the maniac genius of Dan Briggs,” vocalist Tom Rogers commented, speaking of BTBAM guitarist Briggs. “The song deals with the dark cloud that is ego, so I tried to vocally approach it with a different kind of confidence than normal, almost like a pop song… even though it takes you down crazy avenues, you can sit back and sing along.”
For his part, Briggs added: “It’s one of the rare songs I started around the bass and that foundational funky idea, while also maintaining a pretty straightforward melodic idea underneath everything, no matter how dense it got rhythmically.”
He continued, “I love when we have arrangements that feel like they have a page turn into another dimension, but I thought it was important for this one to feel really seamless as it moved dynamically. Even when it gets heavy, I thought it’d be fun at the core to still feel like it was Prince’s band playing, keeping it funky.”
As for the rest of The Blue Nowhere, Rogers revealed that the concept of BTBAM’s new record is that there isn’t a concept, explaining that the record “exists in a world that’s not tied to a storyline.” Going for a vibe-heavy approach, he added that he drafted up lyrics using “journal entries [and] fleeting and introspective thoughts.”
Between the Buried and Me tracked The Blue Nowhere with longtime collaborator and producer Jamie King. It’s likewise their first full-length since the departure of guitarist Dustie Waring in 2023.
The album is due September 12th via the band’s new label home, prog-hub Inside Out Music.
The Blue Nowhere tracklisting:
Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark
God Terror
Absent Thereafter
Pause
Door #3
Mirador Uncoil
Psychomanteum
Slow Paranoia
The Blue Nowhere
Beautifully Human