Like a fever
Dizzy, light-headed
Short of breath
How to move
Safely
From the bedroom
To the kitchen
And if noticed
What to say
Without confessing
That you’re blushing
It’s heart-achingly cruel
Blue bike crashing into funeral car
Rain on church windows
I’ve been up all night
This tender violence
Something I cannot fix
Tomorrow all your favourite things
But how, how could I share
This state of fear and withdrawal
Lift my hands and let them fall
As long as the pulse of life beats in you
That striped sunlight sound
As the bullets thud into flesh
Visible to the world, no secrets, way it is
For God almighty, get the corpses out of sight
Talk of strength, health and beauty
Arrange these little symphonies for the kids
Today all I see - shoppers and surfers
Where’s edge and the fucking dreams, I’d say?
Pure action
On the edge of a catastrophe
No weeping melts the armor
A single tortuous line
Suffocation, heat, ecstasy and pain
Shaking hands with the funeral director
Flares from fireworks, a dying cigarette
Silk and cocaine
Fuzzy flowers, dead rubber tires
Rats, cats and crack homes, tech-fixes, self-hacks
Watch the clock go tick tock tick tock
The voice of suffering nature
Pure action
On the edge of a catastrophe
No weeping melts the armor
A single tortuous line
Aware of everything, committed to nothing
Like the heartbeat of a stone
Call for music’s revenge on an unmusical world
Why would you strip the naked?
Everything we held sacred, stolen our spirits
Buried them under earth …
As we grow old in youth
Now salvage your last scraps of dignity
Show some guts, soul and presence
'Cause I’ve seen the last of the human cities
And tears welled up in my eyes
Ecstasy like a thirsty dog
Shattered bodies piercing together
Some silent sadness
Explosions, whistles, whispers, creaks
As long as the pulse of life beats in you
No weeping melts the armor
On the edge of a catastrophe
Pure action
On the edge of a catastrophe
No weeping melts the armor
A single tortuous line
I’ve seen the last of the human cities
Tears welled up in my eyes
about
Wild and Bitter Fruits is the debut-EP of Quiet Sonia. Blending indierock, folk, post-rock and shoegaze - with inspiration from jazz, techno, ambient and modern classical - the result is a kaleidoscopic, multi-colored, genre-defying, almost mosaic-like listening experience, brimming with details and rewarding repeated listenings. Singer and guitarist Nikolaj Bruus has written, recorded and mixed Wild and Bitter Fruits almost entirely on his own (with the exception of much appreciated help from single bandmates and sporadic professional assistance), learning many things from scratch, and the result is an exercise in an almost dogma-less work with all the control and detail-work that follows.
Fronted by Nikolaj Bruus’ rich baritone-voice and evocative abstract lyrics - brooding, roaring and howling - and his often detailed and nuanced compositions on acoustic steel string guitar, Bruus’ playing and songwriting pays homage to introspective songwriters such as Nick Drake, Tim Buckley and Elliott Smith, and the almost spiritual or devotional quality of guitarists like Robbie Bashoe and John Fahey. As a rock band - accompanied by Thea Thorborg Pedersen (Violin), Frida Rolskov Pedersen (Piano, Vocals), Rasmus Jon Lundager (Organ, Synths), Jens Marl Christiansen (Drums), Anders Meyer (Electric Guitar) and Phillip Dyssegaard (Bass) - besides the occasional chamber feel of the acoustic setting, Quiet Sonia is also ethereal swells of fuzzed out guitars, lush synths and wheezing organs, bombastic distorted bass/drums, and layered intertwining male-female vocal harmonies (just to mention a few characteristics).
From the lush melodic and concise pop-songwriting of The Go Betweens, Wedding Present and Hüsker Dü - tightly crafted, direct and forceful with a seemingly volcanic furious power and energy - to the warm reflective atmosphere, longer narrative-like compositional structures and dynamic intricate arrangements of Talk Talk, Tindersticks and Bark Psychosis, Quiet Sonia draws on a broad palette of eclectic stylistic influences. At times pitch-black, anxious and somber, at times hopeful, dreamy and majestic. The music, though, is always characterized by an emotional urgency; a search for musical catharsis; a wish for communicating something deeply powerful and moving, from severe sonic attacks and harsh punishing bursts of sound to ecstatic beauty and pure bliss.
Thanks to:
Family and friends, The Rhythmic Music Conservatory of Copenhagen, Kristian Alexander Pedersen, Sebastian Zieler & Big Oil, Jonas Munk, Søren Kjærgaard, Anders Sprogøe, David Elberling, Dorias Baracca & late Buster Krogsgaard Svendsen, Poul Lendal, Susanne Abildgaard, Jacob Awegaard, Mikkel Trøjborg Fink, Jens Leonhard Aagaard, Collider, First Flush, The Love Coffin, Himmelrum, Jeppe Kalnæs, Tobias Frank, Claus Falkenstrøm, Nana Lagerfelt, Frederik Vedersø, Rune Risager, Lars Rex, the staff at “udlån” (RMC), Homesickness, Jakob Cæsius Krohn and Marie Holmegaard Sørensen, Bright Young Future, Moby Disc and the late GP Musik, the Music Library of Odense, Rebecca Molina, Chopper, all the wonderful bands and artists we’re inspired by….
credits
released June 10, 2022
Nikolaj Bruus: Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, synths (Juno 60, Korg MS-20), percussion, electric bass, organ, banjo
Frida Rolskov Pedersen: Piano, vocals
Thea Thorborg Pedersen: Violin
Jens Leonhard Aagaard: Percussion (on "This Tender Violence")
Mikkel Trøjborg Fink: Drums (on "This Tender Violence")
Recording engineer: Nikolaj Bruus
Mix/Mix-Bus Processing: Nikolaj Bruus
Mastering: David Elberling
Album-Art: Nikolaj Bruus
Album Graphics: Nikolaj Bruus / Brian Raaby Andersen / Rasmus Jon
Single-Art (This Tender Violence): Anders Bjørn Sprogøe
Thanks to Koda Kulturs Vækstlagspulje for financial support.
Quiet Sonia is a Copenhagen-based experimental chamber rock/folk septet. Fronted by Nikolaj Bruus’ compositions on acoustic
guitar, rich baritone-voice and evocative abstract lyrics, Quiet Sonia plays big, sprawling yet intimate and highly dynamic emotional rock music with longer narrative-like structures, improvisational elements and intricate detailled arrangements....more
Shivers down your spine...... AOFY 2023. Stunning blend of Talk Talk / Bark Psychosis influences, some contemporary Asian Glow / Parannoul vibes, a bit of Steve Roach / Jon Hassell. RECOMMENDED. Quiet Sonia
Another AOTY 2023 contender. A bit of Stephan Micus in this. Most heartbreaking vocals I've heard in a long time. An extremely strong emotional experience. Thank you, Le Cri du Caire. Quiet Sonia
Best jangle album I've heard in a long long time. They're British, and apparently inspired by trad British folk, but they sound more like the best kiwi bands to me. Strongly recommended. Quiet Sonia
This DC shoegaze group work like fog, bringing in ephemeral melodic layers that swirl together to become something surprisingly heavy. Bandcamp New & Notable May 23, 2018
Blood Relative is Publicist's latest post-punk salvo from the Forgive Yourself LP, steered by Zachary Lipez's unnerving baritone. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 17, 2015