Many of the greatest musical collaborations came together via blind dates: musicians who by some force physical or cosmic were put into a room together and discovered a prowess greater than the sum of the individuals. Trevor Shelley de Brauw (of Pelican) and Steven Hess (of Locrian) initially met and formed an improvisational guitar/drum duo after Keith Utech requested they do so for the 2013 installment of his Utech Music Festival. From the outset they tapped into a connection they knew was worthwhile, and decided they needed to continue exploring it following the conclusion of the festival. RLYR officially became a proper band when they enlisted Colin DeKuiper (of Bloodiest) to handle the low-end.

RLYR’s upcoming debut LP Delayer is out this Friday, and was preceded by the singles “Slipstream Summer” and “Reconductor.” Today the band has decided to put the whole album up for streaming a few days ahead of its official release. Delayer is superb instrumental post-rock, lovingly performed, and skillfully dynamic. These guys have all in the past proven they can be destructive musically, and at times Delayer hits these propulsive strides where the band sounds like their leveling a glacier, but what makes RLYR truly impressive is the patience in which they apply pressure. They never allow for a frenzy they didn’t build toward, and give their aggression space to ebb and flow in a way that settles the tension into a continuous stream. These songs are callused, but they’re also soft-spoken. Still Delayer is never quieter than a harmoniously resonant hum. Listen.

Delayer is out 6/17 via Magic Bullet Records. The band’s upcoming tour dates are listed below.

6/17 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch (w/ The Armed & Man Mountain)
6/18 – Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Yacht Club
6/19 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class (w/ Axioma, Sparrowmilk)
6/20 – Ithaca, NY @ Chanticleer Loft (w/ Twin Lords, The Amber Drift)
6/21 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott (w/ United Nations, Nomad Stones, Actor|Observer)
6/22 – New York, NY @ St Vitus (w/ United Nations, Spotlights, Dan Friel)
6/23 – Washington, DC @ DC9 (w/ TONE, Psychic Teens)
6/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (w/ Psychic Teens)
6/25 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups (w/ Castle, Mos Generator)
6/26 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen (w/ Cloakroom, Electric Hawk)