How you feel about Haze’s ‘Clouds Surround and Breathe’ is greatly dependent on how you feel about instrumentals and extended guitar solos – are they amazing or self-indulgent? Don’t be fooled by the nine tracks listed on this album, as many of them push the ten minute mark, challenging even the most diligent of attention spans. ‘Clouds Surround and Breathe’ would seem like one long song except several songs fail to seamlessly merge, ending abruptly or jarring the listener.
Perfect for those who like their releases to test the listener, over the near hour length of the album, Haze tread the line between brilliance and pretentiousness, between being hypnotic and boring. Starting with an atmospheric instrumental introduction, the album then crashes into the second track, displaying masterful guitar work.
While the use of instrumentals is refreshing, their overuse and overreliance on long outros makes the whole album longer that it needs to be, with the five minute outro at the end of ‘Upheaval’ really pushing the limits and final track ‘Clouds Surround and Breathe’ is yet another six minute instrumental section.
While these longer, drawn out sections could have been edited and still preserved the feel of the album, they’re seemingly the kind of aspect that rewards the repeat listener, ‘Clouds Surround and Breathe’ is the kind of album that needs time dedicated to it, a bold move in a two-minute punk song era.
The best songs are those that have a balance of technical mastery and vocals, and the heavy vocals and hardcore-type lyrics make a beautiful juxtaposition with the music their set to. ‘Like Glass’ gets the balance perfectly, and is just the right length to work as a single – a taster of the album as a whole.
Not for those who want instant gratification, Haze have produced a release that – while not immediately accessible – is ultimately rewarding.
JAY SULLIVAN