Brendan Cope is a Portland, USA-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer who has just released his first full length album. Principally electronica, it channels influences as diverse as James Blake, Lorde and SZA. It’s called if now we are in pieces.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Brendan Cope
The title of the album alludes to the creative process behind the album. Once envisioned as a three track EP, it continued to grow, fabricated through voice memos, snatches of samples and found sounds, and ultimately a recording session in Brendan’s home studio. The title too alludes to mental health and Brendan describes the album as “a therapy session” which helped him work through feelings of depression sparked by the pandemic.
You get a sense of this right from the off. During This Life (Intro) provides a short, ambient intro which is rife with a sense of tension. Brendan’s vocals are instantly arresting when they come in, unique and expressive. Based on this intro, I could tell I was in for something special.
Falling in Love pairs confessional lyrics with folksy yet experimental instrumentals. It’s discombobulating, giving an idea of turmoil, and additional vocals from Nosila provide furthe emotional depth. It’s an early highlight.
What are the Odds brings moody and soulful electronica before Hum Along introduces distorted keys and percussive layers. I Couldn’t Even Tell You finishes the album’s first part in a delicately pensive style where Brendan’s vocals are put front and centre. Fans of Animal Collective will appreciate it.
Next, we return to During This Life with an expansion to the world that was previously teased. Compared to what has come before, it’s stripped-back and intimate, but its emotion fills the space created. It’s another highlight. I’m Going Nowhere strips things back and ramps up the emotion even further before Your Party provide a heady, piano-led cinematic wonder.
Taurus SZN combines quiet reflection with vibrant dance moments to great effect. Bloom Into is a darkly Gothic hyperpop moment before the album ends with its title track. If now we are in pieces provides the line that started it all: “if now we are in pieces, we will sprinkle across the future.” It shows that from pain there can come hope, a beautiful sentiment with which to close things.
With this debut full-length, Brendan Cope is bravely declaring himself. By revealing his inner workings and not being afraid to demonstrate his unique style, he’s made a collection that is both absorbing and challenging in all the right ways. Electronic experimentation weaves beautifully with organic human emotion. If now we are in pieces demands to be listened to. You can check it out below.
