This week, experimental electronic duo Nous Alpha announced their sophomore album A Walk In The Woods, set for a May 7th release on Our Silent Canvas.

The collaboration consists of multi-instrumentalist Christopher Bono (Ghost Against Ghost, Bardo, Nous) and noisemaker/famed producer Gareth Jones (Grizzly Bear, Depeche Mode, Spiritual Friendship, WIRE), and their first single from the LP, ‘Fibonacci Failure’ is out now.

The psychedelic offering involves rippling sequences and turbulent, constantly-evolving rhythmic passages that sound like a sudden rainstorm heard from inside a cabin. The pairing are dedicated to blending avant-garde ounds with jaw-dropping visuals, and the accompanying music video is directed by globally acclaimed, NYC based, Australian composer and AV artist Ben Heim.

Speaking on the video, Ben Heim says:

“Every visual element takes an audio input as its source: sustain synth lines generate colour clouds, shorter stabs generate expanding mushroom-like structures, while percussive hits serve to illuminate different areas of the scene”.

Nous Alpha‘s wider release takes inspiration from nature – the trees surrounding their studio became a means of escape from cabin fever, a place for spiritual rejuvenation: ultimately, a proverbial “walk in the woods”.

The result of this ritualistic approach is a juxtaposition of harmony and balance, of beauty and melancholy, of technology and nature, and of two like-minded spiritual beings in creative lockstep with each other. 

Speaking on the experience, Gareth says:

 “We developed a ritual. We had a gong hanging up in the studio, and when either of us felt it was necessary, we would go and bang the gong. That meant we’d either sit and meditate or go on a circular walking meditation through the trees around the studio building. We would walk, stop, contemplate and breathe. It was the most positive and creative way to reconnect.”

Christopher adds:

“I see it as our own version of shamanism. There was a definite trance state that happened within the studio space while we were creating, and this offered an opportunity for transformation. Channelling that energy became critical to what happened on this album.”

A Walk In The Woods drops 7th May 2021 via Our Silent Canvas.