Downes Braide Association aka DBA will release their fourth studio album on February 5th 2021 as a CD/DVD set with a 2LP white vinyl pressing to follow on March 26th. DBA features Geoff Downes (The Buggles/Asia/YES) and Chris Braide who has spent the majority of his career in the USA writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and working closely with a host of big-name artists including Sia, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears and Marc Almond. If the first single from the album ‘Love Among The Ruins’ is any indication of quality then ‘Halcyon Hymns’ will be high on my list of albums to investigate in 2021. A slightly odd spoken word introduction opens out into a wonderfully melodic song blessed with intricate overlapping vocals and some gloriously expansive guitar breaks. Much more about DBA and the lyric video for ‘Love Among The Ruins’ follows:

Halcyon Hymns will be the fifth DBA collaboration and follows their previous critically-acclaimed studio albums Pictures of You (2012), Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls (2017). The duo have also released Live In England (2019) recorded at their first-ever concert at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex, in 2018.

UPDATE: The RGM album review for Halcyon Hymns is here

Following two more successful and enjoyable evenings at Trading Boundaries in February of 2020, Geoff Downes returned to Wales and his projects while Chris Braide returned to LA and struggled to find motivation with the unfolding events in a world of lockdown. Inspiration would return following a call from a close friend.

“Marc Almond suggested I ‘get stuck into another DBA record’ to lift the malaise, Somehow It was hard to muster any enthusiasm for it. We had all been so upbeat at the recent shows and now here we were in a collective, creative void. It’s odd the way inspiration strikes though and it never ceases to delight and surprise me when the muse comes to play and it can happen at any time and without warning.

I opened up a folder of new DBA ideas Geoff (Downes) had sent to me a while back and which I’d listened to briefly and had made a note to do something with them at a later date. I can’t say why it happened but one day in the studio as I listened to the bits and pieces of ideas suddenly the songs started tumbling out as if by magic. I’m not exaggerating or being melodramatic. These new songs sounded like personal reflections, they just wrote themselves. It was so easy, so enjoyable and so meant to be. Like a gift.
”

— Chris Braide

“It was so great to witness Chris’s creativity making my fundamental ideas come alive. He took the bare bones of melodies, harmonies and textures I sent him, and somehow crafted these into something way beyond my expectations or imagination. ‘Love Among The Ruins’ is one of the many examples on the album of his rare genius at work.””

— Geoff Downes

Love Among The Ruins is a delightful and uplifting love song, reflecting memories and tributes of a long lost halcyon time in life. The first track to be taken from the new album, Love Among The Ruins, is out today 4th December.

Halcyon Hymns also features contributions by Marc Almond (ex-Soft Cell) and David Longdon (Big Big Train).

The CD/DVD package also includes video footage of legendary artist Roger Dean’s painting sessions as he creates the album cover artwork for Halcyon Days together with lyric videos for three tracks from the album.

Halcyon Hymns track listing:

Disc 1

01. Love Among The Ruins

02. King Of the Sunset

03. Your Heart Will Find The Way

04. Holding The Heavens

05. Beachcombers

06. Warm Summer Sun

07. Today

08. Hymn To Darkness

09. She’ll Be Riding Horses

10. Late Summer

11. Remembrance

12. Epilogue

Disc 2: DVD

01. Roger dean Painting Sessions

02. Love Among The Ruins

03. Your Heart Will Find A Way

04. Today

Pre-order Halcyon Hymns:

CD/DVD https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-cd-dvd-edition/

2LP White Vinyl: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-limited-edition-2lp-white-vinyl/