Back in 2019, Bring Me the Horizon revealed their plan for a four-EP series titled Post Human that would roll out over the course of a year. And while Post Human: Survival Horror arrived to solid fanfare and returns in October 2020, the second EP in the series has not yet arrived, despite the band releasing music over the past year. So what gives? Bring Me the Horizon's Oli Sykes tells NME that the Post Human series is "still the plan," and he elaborates on why things have taken longer than expected to continue their musical vision.
For those who are keeping track, the band initially teased plans to ditch the album format, perhaps altogether, when first announcing the Post Human series. But within just a few months of releasing the first installment, keyboardist Jordan Fish explained that being on a good creative roll kept them from issuing the four EPs over the course of a calendar year.
In September of 2021, it appeared that the band was closing in on the second release in the series as they served up the single "Die4U," with Fish confirming in December 2021 that the second offering would be more influenced by emo and screamo." Then, back in May of this year, Sykes once again whetted the appetite of fans for their next installment by debuting the song "Strangers" during a DJ set at the Malta Weekender festival.
Now, providing an update on the next installment in their series, Sykes reveals insight as to why it's taken so long. He tells NME, “It’s almost like we’ve been backlogged; now the world is up and running again, in between other commitments such as families, kids and even my own [Drop Dead clothing] brand, it’s just about finding the time."
He added one other reason that should come of interest to fans of the band. “We are chipping away at it, but I also think we feel as though the bar has been set so high for us. I feel like we have this pretty incredible [live] set now, and any song we write now has to be good enough to justify its place on the setlist,” reveals Sykes.
He elaborates, “I’m also so adverse to making music for the sake of consumption. I feel like so many artists just put a song out or do a collab just to make money. I just feel as though there’s not many iconic songs anymore, songs where it’s clear that a lot of graft has gone into them. Maybe [Bring Me the Horizon] should be doing that a bit more, like, ‘Let’s get some fucking music out and make some money.’ But, you know, it’s just not in my heart to do that.”
He added, “I’d rather spend three months working on a song in order to put out something special; this is not a case of writers’ block, we’re just taking our time with it and making sure we’re doing something different, which gets increasingly harder as your catalogue gets bigger.”
So that is at least encouraging to fans who are patiently waiting. It appears as though Bring Me the Horizon are not rushing out music just to stay in the cycle, but rather putting their focus on bringing something they feel is truly quality with the chance to be great for music listeners.
While no firm release date has been set, "Die4U" and "Strangers" have given the band solid footing as they prep their next musical installment in the series.
