Sarah Bly (a.k.a Bleie) will release her second album, The Adept, via Last Faith Studio next week. 

The album gets its title from the concept of a student of a spiritual path, called an “Adept.” In this case, it refers to the journey of being led from darkness into enlightenment.  

All nine pieces were created as a kind of cathartic burst just after the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland which took the lives of several of Bly’s closest friends. “Many in our circle experienced live performances of this music as we stepped out to gather together, after the tragedy occurred,” Bly explains. “To some, this music served as a way of releasing built-up tension, sadness, anger. Tears were shed, needed smiles of enjoyment were sparked.” 

The concepts of transpersonal counselling psychology, alchemy, Sufism, and the power of altered consciousness influenced Bly’s production. “Following the fire, many experienced a period of reckoning with notions of mortality and reappraisal of our way of living and values,” she explains. “The music here grew out of this process.” 

We’re told that dark, beautiful environments are populated by deeply evolving tonal instruments, roiling percussion, hazy distortion, and pinpoints of crisp sound design. It was recorded in live performance and blends the heavy energy of techno with a depth of feeling and texture. “First and foremost, this is heavy, gloriously weird, heartfelt, spooky techno that bears repeated listenings in different environments,” the label explains. 

The album follows 2018’s Persona Arcana, Bly’s album debut. 

Last Faith Studio began as a studio for Cherushii (a.k.a Chelsea Faith) and David Last. Since the Ghost Ship fire, it has become a Bandcamp label. This will be only its second release. 

Tracklisting

01. And You, What Do You Seek?

02. Will of the Abyss 

03. Susurrus

04. No Generation Without Corruption

05. Abyss of the Deity of No Origin

06. Cross/Body in Balance

07. Glass, Nest, Furnace

08. Peradam

09. The Unseen

The Adept LP lands April 24, with “Will of the Abyss” streaming here alongside pre-order.