The cosmos has now aligned, and with great honour Ritual Productions announce BONG‘s return after three years with a new and momentous rite. ‘Thought and Existence‘ is their sixth album for Ritual Productions and will be unveiled in its entirety this May 4th.
A continuation of Bong’s metaphysical sounds, ‘Thought and Existence’ will take the listener on a spacious voyage that resonates with the works of the band’s past, yet this offering is especially striking and stunning. A resplendent and imposing craft, comprised of two tracks spanning just under 40 minutes, ‘Thought and Existence’ is remarkable in its ability to move the listener and transcend them to imaginative planes anew.
Bong feel ever so omnipresent on ‘Thought and Existence’, continuing their revered ability to transform time through their sublime sonic textures. As all listeners of this rite will attest, the band’s stellar meditative and mystical drone, amplified by the essential and ritualistic hue of the drums, permits our imagination to be heightened. New realms of perception and existence open up, even if only for the duration of the rite; the power of this listening experience subverting the laws of time and space itself.
The first track – “The Golden Fields” – manifests as an aura of luminosity and transcendence whilst simultaneously stirring a foreboding and solemn sentiment that we are sentient, mortal beings forever teetering on the edge of complete darkness. “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”, inspired by Borges’ immaterialist fiction of the same title, sees percussive rolls and fills being especially noticeable, making this one of Bong’s most upbeat and rhythmic tracks. Yet, both songs remain grounded in the hypnotic and mesmeric reverb that only Bong know how to channel. You can hear the first insight into these tracks below.
Bong’s ‘Thought and Existence’ was recorded and engineered by Mark Wood at The Soundroom, Gateshead during September 2017. The rite was mixed and mastered at XL Recordings Studio, London during December 2017, courtesy of John Foyle (Bobby Womack, Sampha, Damon Albarn) and Adam Richardson (11PARANOIAS, Ramesses, Ancient Lights).
BONG
THOUGHT AND EXISTENCE
1) The Golden Fields
2) Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
