The friendship between multi-instrumentalists Simon Allen and Russell Cleave stretches back to 1995. They formed a band, headed to London, and then went their separate ways while sporadically keeping in touch. Fast-forward to 2020, and with the world on lockdown, the pair decided to write a song remotely. Two years later, that one song turned into a debut full-length, ‘Written in Silence’ and a project called Mt. Onsra. Its creation was done remotely, exchanging files back and forth, and only once it was finished did they set up a video call.
In June, Mt. Onsra will be releasing their second album, ‘Sacred Time’. It promises to see Allen and Cleave expand on the genreless foundations previously set. It also sees them working together in person. Album opener, ‘Emergent’ sets the tone with its intimate and raw slow-burning build. Chugging guitars take over, hinting at an over-arching dark side to Mt. Onsra, leaning into post-metal and post-rock tendencies.
“This was the only song where we broke the format of me sending Simon an instrumental to work on vocals/melodies/lyrics and any added atmospherics. This time I was sent a basic outline with vocals to expand on and arrange into a song, experimenting with and building the dynamics as I went,” explains Cleave on the creation of ‘Emergent’.
Both ‘Emergent’ and ‘Sacred Time’ highlight Mt. Onsra‘s soul-searching and emotional approach, looking for a connection and an understanding. “It’s a song about acceptance,” Allen commented.
1. Emergent2. Fever Dream
3. | Question |
4. Integration
5. Revelation
6. The Depths We Dive
7. The King’s Return
8. Universal=
9. Voices
‘Sacred Time’ by Mt. Onsra is released on June 28th on South of Devon Records.
Find Mt. Onsra on: Facebook | X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Website
From Monday to Friday, we put the spotlight on a fresh track that you need to hear.
Every week, we aim to showcase a wide range of music, from familiar favourites to emerging bands to DIY newcomers.
Want to submit your new track for a potential ‘Song of the Day’ selection? Head here to share your details.
