Progressive Psychedelic Trio SOMNIUM Release Their Sophomore Album ‘To Be Is To Be Perceived’

Brace yourself for Adelaide/Tarndanya’s trance-inducing psychedelic outfit. SOMNIUM release their sophomore album, ‘To Be Is To Be Perceived’, on November 18.

Entwining sounds from psychedelic rock, progressive rock and jazz, SOMNIUM has built a reputation for a foundation of enticing grooves, trance-inducing tremolo guitars and conceptually narrative vocals. Their psychedelic innovation has been reinforced with support slots with veterans King Gizzard, Pond, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets among many more notable acts.

Coming off the back of three singles, ‘Isolation Island’, ‘Truth Set Me Free’ and ‘What Would You Be When You Die?’, SOMNIUM are dropping their anticipated sophomore album, ‘To Be Is To Be Perceived’.

Exploring themes of love, the mind, the ego and nature, ‘To Be Is To Be Perceived’ is fundamentally about the human experience and how the mind navigates interpersonal interaction. SOMNIUM provide insight into what fueled their sophomore album:

“’To Be is Is to Be Perceived’ is an album of ego death, love, philosophy and wonder. From explosive raw energy to pretty soundscapes of introspection. We uncover groove, harmony and unite modern obscurity and a sense of nostalgia to blend a unique array of songs that have a deeper meaning the more you listen.”

Opening the album is ‘Wilderness Plants and Trees’, welcoming the listener into SOMNIUM’s world–at nature and free of the mechanical movements of civilisation.

Previously released singles ‘Truth Set Me Free’ and ‘Isolation Island’ follow, portraying trepidations of wrestling with one’s turmoil, situated in an isolated island being driven to madness.

Then, ‘4am’ explores a story of early morning escapades with a lover, finding yourself driving down deserted streets with wakefulness driven by only oxytocin and romance.

Latin-American influences bleed through with ‘Movement’, a Bossa-Nova backbone with an interesting blend of Americana guitar work and Australian psychedelic melodies that SOMNIUM are renowned for. The following track, ‘Budapest’, is a love song featuring classical guitars arpeggiating dreamy chords and infectious melodies.

Breaking things up is the intermission track ‘Olive Hop’, a unique hip hop jam with sitar-like guitar work, envelope-filtered funk bass and playful percussion work. ‘Miss Fiasco’ is a unique triple-time jazz shuffle with a chilling paranoid undertone of a trip gone wrong–or was it the trip that was needed?

‘What Would You Be When You Die?’ is the last of SOMNIUM’s singles on the record, coming in as the ninth track on the LP. ‘Pause For A Moment’ directs the listener to stop and question what’s going on. The unexpected synth lines support lyrics crafted during an intoxicated Uber ride, found in the depths of the notes app.

The album’s title track explores the unfamiliar feelings of ego death and how humans perceive rumours they’ve heard about themselves and current events–what’s real and what’s a premeditated haze?

SOMNIUM closes the record with ‘Somnicron’, a self-described rock-rave song and a goodbye to the listeners of the album. This rock jam leaves the listener craving for more, teasing at what’s to come with future releases.

SOMNIUM has found national and international radio play from RDU (New Zealand), Radio Wigham (UK), Southern FM (VIC) and 2SER (NSW), RAGE (Aus),  as well as plenty of play on a variety of community radio stations across Australia including 4ZZZ, 5ZZZ, 5WOW, Tribe FM and more. Previous media support for SOMNIUM includes Hysteria, AAA Backstage, Stoner Hive, Aus Music Scene, Mystic Sons and more.

Shake yourself from your trance, or get lost in a new one with SOMNIUM’s sophomore album– ‘To Be Is To Be Perceived’ out everywhere November 18.