PRAISES, the project helmed by Toronto-based artist Jesse Crowe, has today released its sophomore record In This Year: Hierophant via Hand Drawn Dracula. Alongside sharing the new record, Praises has also released the single “Our Father” with a video directed by Julia Wittmann. Praises will also be performing an album release show in Toronto at The Horseshoe Tavern on August 11th with Roach and Bonnie Trash.

Through instinct, talent, and of course, blind luck, Praises – who now operate as a full band – harnessed their sound through the course of the pandemic, leaning into the creative spirit and a recording process reminiscent of a Bad Seeds project where key players wrote their parts from only a demo track and a feeling. The result pushes beyond their industrial synth-based offerings, incorporating the intensity of their highly regarded live performances with an intimate, collaborative, and distanced songwriting process.

Speaking about the new single, “Our Father”, which is built on brooding synth and solemn percussion before building into a climax, Crowe explains: “In the years following the Me Too movement, it can feel as though every safe feeling male mentor will be exposed as an abuser. Our Father is a letter to Nick Cave, and is meant to playfully invoke his tone as a means to warn him against ever being a pig.”

“instinctively sombre, and gorgeously intimate” – PAN M 360

“a dark, stylized and highly theatrical treat for your senses and sensibilities” – DOMINIONATED

“a slow and meditative listen that gives a desirable amount of time to contemplate its profound messages” – 8/10 EXCLAIM!

ORDER NOW: APPLE / SPOTIFY / YOUTUBE / TIDAL / BANDCAMP
PRESS: WRSZW, INDIE MACHINE, DOMINIONATED, PAN M 360, THOUGHTS WORDS ACTION (1), THOUGHTS WORDS ACTION (2), SPILL MAGAZINE, CUPS N CAKES, EXCLAIM!
RADIO: #59 SubModern Albums at NACC, #10 Most Added at NACC, #26 CBC Radio 3 Top 30 (w/o 06.20)
RADIO: debuted #22 on Earshot Canada, #115 NACC Top 200, #11 on NACC Canadian Chart
RADIO: #1 CBC RAdio 3 Top 10 (w/o 08.01)

PRAISES (aka the project of Jesse Crowe of BELIEFS) is today sharing their new single “Apples For My Love” – the track follows the XLR8R, EXCLAIM, INDIE88, and VANYALAND-tipped “A World On Fire” – from EP4. This new collection of songs positions itself as a hint towards a larger body of work set for release later this year via Hand Drawn Dracula.
PURCHASE / STREAM : smart url / bandcamp

“Heavily reverbed vocals, keys and percussion conjure minimalism and psychedelia in equal measure” – ESSENTIAL NEW RELEASES / EXCLAIM

“a welcome respite from the optimism of North America in 2021” – EARS TO FEED

“Dreamy vocals, pulsing rhythms, and eerie synths come together to create luxe but ominous atmospheres” – NEW & NOTABLE / DAILY BANDCAMP

“Toronto’s Praises Delivers EP of Woozy, Introspective Electronica” – XLR8R

“Every August Album You Need To Know About” – ET CANADA

NEW! Jesse talks candidly with EXCLAIM! and explores cancer battle in their powerful new “Hunter” video by PRAISES.

About The Video: Praises “Hunter” : The whole cancer journey in video.
“This is the scan set from the discovery of cancer to the eradication of cancer. Jesse Crowe had access to all of their CT and MRI scans, and reached out to see if I might be able to animate them together into a full length video. It was such a neat idea, I couldn’t resist seeing what sort of twisted imagery would come out of editing them together. The scans are very alive on their own, but when you put them to music they come to life in a much different way; it becomes like a dance, as if Jesse’s body is naturally reacting to the music without actually hearing it. It’s their core, and the result is hypnotic and jarring, a reminder of how alive we really are.” – Jordan Allen (director)

EP THREE is available now on all streaming platforms and via the HDD STORE.