raein
Photo Credit 📷 : @oni_bakuu
Surprise releases are back in vogue, and I can't say that I'm not refreshed by the mounting rejection of six-month rollouts and a culture that increasingly values single streams and social media engagement over the appreciation of art in its intended form. Whether their intent or not, Raein took this rejection of consumer culture a step further by dropping their first recorded material in a decade in the form of two lengthy movements, without any warning, and then refusing to play ball with Spotify's warmongering (to hell with your sad boy summer playlist, head on over to their bandcamp page to listen).
This approach would be any major label exec's worst nightmare, but thankfully, the kind folks over at Persistent Vision actually know a thing or two about respecting the medium. Sure, you could zoom into the tracks that make up Forme Sommerse and triangulate the spots where one motif ends and another begins, but doing so would be counterintuitive to the way that Forme Sommerse was intended to be heard—with each sub-movement being part of a larger whole.
"WHEN WE STARTED WRITING THE RECORD, WE ALREADY HAD THE IDEA OF CREATING TWO LONG, SINGULAR SONGS, AND DURING THE WRITING PROCESS, WE EVEN CONSIDERED DIVIDING THE TWO TRACKS INTO CHAPTERS, AS WE HAD DONE PREVIOUSLY WITH 'OGNI NUOVO INIZIO'. ONCE WE FINISHED RECORDING, WE REALIZED THAT FRAGMENTING THEM WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE, EVEN THOUGH THE SONGS HAVE PAUSES AND DIFFERENT 'MOODS' WITHIN THE SAME TRACK.
WE HAD ALREADY GROWN ATTACHED TO THE IDEA OF TWO BLOCKS. AFTER DISCUSSING IT, WE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WE NEVER CARED ABOUT ADHERING TO STANDARDS; IN FACT, WE'VE ALWAYS FOUND THE ANTI-RECORD LABEL FACTOR RATHER STIMULATING".
- MICHELE CAMORANI, @RAEIN.BAND
Forme Sommerse, at its core, is a practice in intuition. Instead of trying to recapitulate the past, Raein opted to utilize a fresh approach that would allow them to flow seamlessly from one idea to the next without any heed to the limitations of conventional structure. That sense of freedom is fully evident in these movements. These aren't exactly post-rock songs with linear progressions after all; they are more akin to a collection of peaks and valleys, with kinetic rhythms that push and pull like a waltz through turbulent waters, and the result is nothing short of staggering.
All the hallmarks that made Raein such an influential force in the first place are still front and center here—their perfect balance between bright guitar tones, sensitive melodies, passionately chanted vocals, and a rhythmic urgency that feels vital every step of the way—but the form of the album makes their music feel more alive than ever.
This commitment to intuition hasn't only resulted in a fantastic new record; it is also one of the core pillars of Raein's near quarter-century career. Countless peers have come and gone since their self-titled record came out in 2002, but Raein has remained an undying fixture in the scene, and a large part of their longevity can be attributed to the way the group has continued to approach their relationship to the band as a conversation, asking not only what they need from the music but also what the music needs from them. Sometimes this means letting ten years slip by between records, but if that's what it takes to avoid burnout and collapse, by all means, take another ten.
Raein aren't just back in top form here; they are still at the forefront of the pack, and Forme Sommerse may be their most elegant and mature record to date.
Raein is Andrea Console on vocals, Alessio Valmori & Giuseppe Coluccelli on guitar and vocals, Nicola Amadori on bass, and Michele Camorani on drums.
Follow them on bandcamp here : Raein
Writer : @crownh8
Editor : @just_reidz
09/23/25
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