Washington D.C.-based band Requiem emerge with their latest offering, the audio-visual single, Breathe, a piece which underlines their commitment to social commentary. Led by video artist and vocalist Monica Stroik, the band showcases a profound evolution in their sound and message.
Breathe unfolds as an intriguing seven-minute track, weaving together elements of slow, doom, drone, heavy ambient, and post rock. Tristan Welch (electric guitar), Doug Kallymeyer (bass, electronics, production) and Andrew Toy (drums, electronics) craft a haunting sonic landscape which mirrors the weight of the subject matter.
Stroik reveals that the inspiration behind Breathe stems from the Russian military attacks on Ukraine in 2022, expressing a deeply emotional response to the plight of “innocent victims that lay dying with their last breath.”
Monica comments on the video: “The idea behind the video echoes these words for me visually – flowers opening up to life, representing the beauty and hope of living; then the ethereal swelling, representing a mixture of breath and blood, necessities of the living; and the movement of figures reaching, grasping, aching, wanting, breathing…”
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