Mighty Brother’s Fourth Album ‘Azimuth’ Transports the Hero Myth into the Modern Day

Azimuth is the fourth studio release from Mighty Brother (released December 8th), who expertly knows how to sway listeners with the fluidity of rhythm in their new album that transports the hero myth into the modern day. The term azimuth describes the angle between North and a celestial object, essentially what sailors use to track their course. Hence, the title hints at the album’s themes of navigating difficult times and trying to maintain a sense of your own personal North. Throughout the album’s themes, Azimuth deals with loss, normalcy, and rebirth.

Written during the pandemic, the writing process for the album began in the summer of 2020 when Nick and Ari took a month-long writing retreat in Oceanside, Oregon. The ocean view of the Bed and Breakfast they stayed at in company with the host’s generosity by bringing them baked goods daily translated into the album’s energy – a blue horizon mixed with homely sweetness.

“Throughout the writing, we also imagined what it would be like to play these songs live. Like other bands, we had to cancel full tours for more than a year due to the pandemic and we were really missing the stage. We felt both nostalgic for the road and hopeful for its return, and poured that love for the journey and the friends you make along the way into the tracks,” they said.

“Early on, we decided on making a concept album that would reimagine the Hero’s Journey. We’ve always written very narrative and character-based songs, and wanted to expand on that and see what we could do with a wider story arc. We [also] think it’s important to say that the hero of Azimuth is intentionally unnamed and ungendered,” they added.

“I was having a ‘trans-awakening’ of sorts throughout the pandemic. You know, lots of downtime for self-exploration. I introduced a few tunes to the band that directly reference that journey – ”The Breakers” especially–and they ran with ‘em. Felt like a true ally moment, and the songs really blossomed further from there,” uttered Ari.

Indeed, Mighty Brother intends for listeners to feel invited to see themselves as the protagonist. “Every Drop of Moonlight” was one of the first songs the band finished, and is the perfect stage-setting song for an adventure album, as it identifies a character who is motivated toward adventuring out of their comfort zone by a mentor who has left on their own. Hereon, it was easy to imagine the character sailing forward to different islands, twisting and turning through adventures of the heart, art, society, and finally shipwreck. By the end of the album, the protagonist finds themselves marooned and hopeless, wondering ‘what was it all for?’. “I think a lot of us felt that way in 2020 when the work we had been doing, art we had been making, and life and career paths we had chosen were suddenly uprooted. In the end, though, the character finds some hope in the idea of sharing their experience with others, and understanding that there is still a future ahead of them. They have this sort of one-ness with everything, the ego-death moment in “Cliffs & The Ghost”, then are able to head back to the sea” expressed Ari.

Azimuth is the first album from the band to be available on 12” vinyl. For more information, you may order the vinyl record on Mighty Brother on Vinyl: Azimuth.