News of Dream Vessel, the new album from William Covert plus the new single, Trancers.

The latest work of Chicago based William Covert embodies an artistic metamorphosis for both the artist and the band-leader. Exploring the territories on the intersection of improvised music, jazz and ambient soundscapes, and combining solo and group improvisation to forge a unique sonic landscape, Dream Vessel blends abrasive noise rock, free-jazz textures, and cinematic ambient atmospheres.

INSPIRATION

The band’s inspiration springs from the fearless genre-blending of John Zorn’s and bands such as Naked City and Painkiller alongside the pioneering live improvisations of King Crimson and the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s.

 “Dream Vessel is more of a full rock band feel for much of it while going into uncharted musical territory,”  explains William stating that this album serves as a vessel to “experiment with combining abrasive noise rock with free-jazz textures in a band format.”

THE TRIO

Joining Covert on drums for half the album’s tracks, longtime collaborators Jack McKevitt (guitar) and Nathan Schenck (bass) perform together as the William Covert Trio. Recorded live and fully improvised in the studio, the Covert Trio tracks contain no overdubs, capturing the spontaneous and visceral energy of the musicians performing together in the same room. The trio, who also play together in Chicago’s post-hardcore noise rock outfit Tum, bring an aggressive avant-garde noise rock improvisational ethos to the record. 

After more than 15 years of drumming in math rock, post-rock, and post-hardcore bands, William Covert began experimenting with live-looped synths alongside acoustic and electronic drums. This experimentation birthed two full-length solo albums characterized by post-rock and krautrock-inspired synth loops and melodies, all performed solo with loop pedals and sequencers. “I wanted my third solo album to go in a different direction with different instrumentation,”  explains Covert discussing the process behind the creation of Dream Vessel.

SOUND DESIGN – GROUP AND SOLO

While the first part of the record became a group effort for Covert, the other half was performed entirely solo, diving deep into cinematic ambient soundscapes, dreamy Frippertronic-influenced guitars, modular synth, and free-jazz drumming filtered through a post-industrial lens. These compositions immerse themselves in meticulously layered sound design with nods to slowcore and minimalist post-rock, providing a dynamic contrast to the trio’s raw intensity. 

Dream Vessel is set for release on 17th October – pre-order the new LP from William Covert here.

William Covert online: Facebook / Bandcamp

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