Pure Reason Revolution

Born in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s around musicians linked to Reading and formed at Westminster University, Pure Reason Revolution initially developed a progressive, psychedelic rock in which art rock, space rock, overdubbed vocal harmonies and stretched structures intersect. The band took shape under this name in 2003 with Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper among its central members, after several earlier incarnations, and then released the EP Cautionary Tales for the Brave in 2005 before the first album The Dark Third in 2006. On stage, Pure Reason Revolution then travelled as much in British clubs as on posters linked to progressive rock, notably sharing dates with Blackfield and Porcupine Tree. From Amor Vincit Omnia in 2009, and then Hammer and Anvil in 2010, the band markedly shifted its writing toward a more electronic aesthetic, consisting of synthetic pulses, more direct refrains and a marked contrast between rhythmic density and airy vocal lines. After a split in 2011, Pure Reason Revolution reformed in 2019 around Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper, returning to a balance between melodic prog and atmospheric textures on Eupnea in 2020. Above Cirrus followed in 2022, with the return of Greg Jong, and Coming Up to Consciousness appeared in 2024. Over these phases, Pure Reason Revolution has retained an identity based on the alternation between guitars, keyboards, polyphonies and electronic moods.