Billboard is exclusively premiering the official video of “Reimagined,” the first piece of new music from Clairvoyant, the upcoming album by progressive hard-rock band The Contortionist that will arrive Sept. 15 on Entertainment One Music/Music Good Fight Music.
Clairvoyant is the second project featuring the band lineup that includes singer Michael Lessard, bassist Jordan Eberhardt and keyboardist Eric Guenther, who first recorded with the sextet on 2014 album Language. Producer Jamie King (Through the Eyes of the Dead, Between the Buried and Me), who helmed the boards for Language, reunited with The Contortionist to oversee Clairvoyant.
Asked about how the chemistry among band members felt while recording Clairvoyant as opposed to Language, Lessard observes, “I think the major difference is our honesty with each other. It can be a positive or a negative, depending on how we express ourselves, but it seems to have led us to an album that best represents us as a whole. We’ve all been able to build off each other as songwriters, too, which has been priceless.” He adds, “Collectively, we’re feeling proud, apprehensive, but ultimately excited to finally have this record speak for us as a meticulously sculpted voyage into our musical psyche,” says Guenther.
The Contortionist’s intent for Clairvoyant was “always to try and distract the listener for the whole of the album,” says Lessard. “If we can put them in a trance for 60 minutes where they forget everything else that is happening, then we’ve accomplished the goal.”
“On album and stage, between the art’s presentation, zealous and even forceful sonic immersion, and interpretable lyrical and visual metaphor, we are attempting to bring the listener deeper into the world and musical language of The Contortionist,” notes Guenther. ” ‘Reimagined’ struck everyone simply as the most truthful and sincere place to start in this new universe.”
Watch the video for “Reimagined” below:
Speaking on how “Reimagined” is indicative of Clairvoyant as a whole, Lessard says, “It shows the darker, but more focused side of the album. We made a point to try not to ramble on with some parts as much as we would have in the past, so I feel this song is a good representation of that effort.” He calls the inspiration behind the song “what you want it to be. I don’t feel it’s our place to pave a concrete path for the listener. We’re here to create a musical space in which they can navigate themselves through.”
The Contortionist, which recently finished touring with Periphery, will support Clairvoyant (which can be pre-ordered here) when it returns to the road in the fall to support Between the Buried and Me for the Colors Ten-Year Anniversary Tour. (See dates below.) The band is also set to play three June dates in the United Kingdom that include Download Festival in Donington on June 9.
Sept. 21 — Philadelphia @ Theatre of Living Arts
Sept. 22 — Baltimore @ Baltimore Sound Stage
Sept. 23 — New York @ Irving Plaza
Sept. 24 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Sept. 26 — Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre
Sept. 27 — Cleveland, OH @ Angora Theatre and Ballroom
Sept. 28 — Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot Ballroom
Sept. 29 — Toronto @ The Opera House
Sept. 30 — Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Oct. 1 — Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Oct. 2 — Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
Oct. 3 — Denver, CO @ The Summit Music Hall
Oct. 4 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Oct. 6 — Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Oct. 7 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Ray Theatre
Oct. 8 — Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
Oct. 9 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA
Oct. 10 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
Oct. 12 — Dallas, TX @ Trees
Oct. 14 — New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Oct. 15 — Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
Oct. 17 — Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Oct. 18 — St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
Oct. 19 — Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
Oct. 20 — Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Oct. 21 — Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre