On I Want To Be Ready, The Early refine the quiet dialogue they’ve been building between Philadelphia and Chicago into something immersive and deeply communicative. The duo, consisting of Alex Lewis (guitars, synths) and Jake Nussbaum (drums, percussion, electronics), have long positioned itself at the intersection of post-rock atmosphere, jazz improvisation, and the patient grooves of minimalism and electronica, but this new release takes their sound into even more abstract territory.
The title takes its cue from choreographer Danielle Goldman, whose book I Want To Be Ready frames improvisation as a state of readiness for whatever comes next. As a skilled improviser, she knows her own habits and the shifting social norms around her, adjusting her movement moment by moment. It’s a fitting lens for The Early, who channel that same spirit.
The album unfolds in long, slowly evolving movements that blend the textural grandeur of post-rock and the conversational intimacy of jazz. Lewis’s electric guitar rarely asserts itself with riffs or solos; instead, it functions as a generator of tone and atmosphere. Nussbaum, meanwhile, resists flashy gestures in favour of tactile, spacious drumming.
Opening with ‘The Laughing Earth’, it’s a sprawling 9-minute composition filled with dissonant chords set to an unsettling rhythm that defines what’s yet to come. Recent single ‘Sand Clock’ moves like a rock groove, slowly dissolving into a lattice of overlapping rhythmic fragments and textural noise. It’s loud and abrasive, but what should feel chaotic instead becomes strangely inviting. An expansive highlight is ‘Flossless’. At nearly 13 minutes, the duo fully stretches out, moving from contemplative meditation to visceral intensity. Shades of The Necks and Talk Talk flow through the track. The title track, “I Want To Be Ready,” is also the album’s most revealing statement. Opening with a restrained, pulsing guitar figure, the track gradually accrues weight through subtle rhythmic shifts.
In an era of quick hooks and compressed immediacy, I Want To Be Ready makes a case for patience. With its emphasis on atmosphere and mood, this is a record that rewards immersion and repeated visits.
