Last year, Braids released their fourth full-length album, Shadow Offering — it was our Album Of The Week when it came out. Today, they’re releasing two tracks that were recorded at the same time as that album, “Slayer Moon” and “2020.” Both tap into the same sort of cascading, high-stakes melodrama that Shadow Offering excelled at. “2020” in particular builds to a massive, soul-searching conclusion: “Who am I without you in my life?”

The band had this to share on the tracks:

‘Slayer Moon’ is inspired by a Sailor Moon phone case I bought in Tokyo, at 3am while on tour in Japan. Growing up I was obsessed with Sailor Moon, particularly with the ability to magically transform from a normal girl into a full – on m ystical and powerful Sailor Scout, battle – ready to combat the evil forces of the world.

‘2020’ was written sometime in 2017, after a long period of being alone – in an abstract sense of the word – wh ile reaching for fleeting physical closeness. I was with friends, but my heart was lonely and longing for companionship, my body confused with the unfamiliarity of new and shallow encounters. I had been meditating a lot during this time ‘tracing a line thr ough the centre of my body’ – a process of inward – looking that I veer towards when I take the time to sit. I titled the song ‘2020,’ in 2020. Revisiting the song’s lyrics through the eyes of our present reality struck a chord with me. I felt as close to th e song as when I had first written it. I find that I am asking myself similar questions while in this pandemic, without my friends, my family, my familiar structures.

Listen to both below.

“Slayer Moon” and “2020” are out now via Secret City Records.