You gotta love Hubris. The Swiss quartet play a delicately balanced blend of post-rock, electronica and post-metal, which makes this band a firm favourite amongst the post music community. Their two previous outings, Apocryphal Gravity and Metempsychosis are both cleverly crafted albums that have seen Hubris master the intricacies of harnessing the emotion and sentiment of post-rock and flawlessly adorning it with heavy guitar swells and glorious electronica. Well, the great news is that the guys are back with new music. Their latest single, Of Light, is the first of 4 parts of the new upcoming album "The One Above" which delves into the intricacies of Plato's allegory of the cave as well as drawing links between the allegory and the Greek Mythology.
Of Light opens like a warm summer breeze, with guitars shimmering and glistening as they reverb, delay and gently vibrate in the way that Chris Isaac’s masterpiece Wicked Game did all those years ago. Soft electronic swells sheath the music under smooth feathery percussions and fresh, airy atmospherics. It’s not until the third minute that you get that first burst of power and overwhelmiing energy as the track ups the ante and steps up a gear in both mood and tone. The melody remains, but the intensity is magnified as hairs begin to rise and brush against the collar of your T-shirt.
The midway point bring a break in play, as gently plucked strings and razor-sharp synths zig-zag through the air, cutting through that warm coastal breeze before a blast of energy sees the music lift itself once more high above that heavy summer haze, blazing a trail through the cool, satin clouds, before exploding into a cacophony of splendour and magnificence. Those final ninety seconds are up there with some of the greatest post-rock climaxes you will hear, hair-raising and soul-stirring.
Hubris have laid down a marker with this track. Of Light is a magnificent piece of music that will no doubt put them high on that towering pedestal of post-rock and electronica, alongside their fellow countrymen Leech. It’s that good.