White Shores is the fifth studio album announced recently from Swiss post-rock band hubris. set for release on September 10th, 2026.
Following four albums rooted in Greek mythology, composer and founder Jonathan Hohl turns to his other favourite source of inspiration: The Lord of the Rings, but more specifically J.R.R. Tolkien’s exploration of mortality and immortality.
“The Hobbit was my very first exposure to literature as a child, and after Peter Jackson’s original film trilogy, I became completely obsessed with Middle-Earth,” Jonathan recalls.
In Tolkien’s legendarium, elves in spite of their immortality (a trait often coveted by humans) refer to death as the “Gift of Men.” This paradox offers a striking alternative to the Western perception of death as purely tragic. A “gift” implies something desirable, even fortunate. While Tolkien presents multiple perspectives on death throughout his works, the one that resonated most deeply with Jonathan comes from the main protagonist Frodo’s departure at the end of The Lord of the Rings: “the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”
In the wake of his grandfather’s passing, this perspective became Jonathan’s emotional and conceptual foundation of White Shores. The album unfolds across five movements, each representing a word in a single sentence: Death. Is. Just. Another. Path.
The sentence is drawn from Gandalf’s words to Pippin in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation. It was spoken in the face of what appears to be their last moments. This phrase serves as both a moment of respite and a thematic conception.
With its 5 separate movements, the album also offers a reflection to Dr. Kübler-Ross’s theory on the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.
According to the band new single ‘Death’ is, “the song that started it all. It was the first piece I (Jonathan) composed after my grandfather passed away, and those opening chords became the foundation for the entire album. I’ve always seen our records as a single body of work rather than a collection of separate songs, and this album is no exception.
Each track was written at a different stage of my grieving process. The songs reflect my feelings in those moments as well as the evolution of my understanding of ‘death’ as a concept. A major influence on that perspective was Tolkien’s work, where elves consider the mortality of men a "gift". This album became a way of exploring that idea and it all started with this song.”
Listen to the single now:
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Live shows (European Release Tour Pt. I)
25.09 – Fribourg, CH @ Fri-Son
26.09 – Barberaz, FR @ Brin de Zinc
28.09 – Valencia, ES @ 16 Toneladas
29.09 – Madrid, ES @ Wurlitzer Ballroom
30.09 – Porto, PT @ Maus Habitos
01.10 – Santiago de Compostella, ES @ Moon Music Club
02.10 – Lugo, ES @ Sala Clavicémbalo
07.10 – Nantes, FR @ The Black Shelter
09.10 – Leeds, UK TBA
10.10 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
11.10 – London, UK @ The Grace
12.10 – Bristol, UK @ The Gryphon
13.10 – Birmingham, UK @ The Rainbow
15.10 – Eindhoven, NL @ Altstadt
16.10 – Vlaardingen, NL @ De Kroepoekfabriek
17.10 – Antwerp, BE @ Djingel Djangel
18.10 – Hamburg, DE @ MS Stubnitz
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Aural Aggravation 