The Kingston-Upon-Thames UK synth-pop and soul duo duo ΛLPINES third album “Full Bloom” expected 16th of November promises to be the high watermark of their career so far. It is the consolidation of years of ambitious inter-reference, as the product offered by Bob Matthews (guitar and production) and Catherine Pockson (pianist, singer/songwriter) finds a way to stay true to their original musical process.
While the creative core still revolves around the music they grew up listening to, “Full Bloom” is eclectic in its supporting references, confident and capable: With Prince, Aaliyah, Frank Ocean, Lauryn Hill, Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Kelela, and even ‘90s rave culture such as Massive Attack being some of the muses channeled into the new work.
Each song is built around a minimal piano idea, expanded upon in the serenity of their own Kingston-Upon-Thames studio: “There are tracks that lean more towards Catherine’s love of classic singer-songwriters and soul music, and others that are inspired by left-field producers and rap.”
“Out of View” [taken from the album “Full Bloom” and shared below] was written in a period of time when we were both feeling very free and wanted to experiment with new sounds and ideas with no pressure or expectation…”
“The weight and grittiness of the beat contrasts to the soaring and anthemic vocal. We wanted this track to have that striking uplifting quality, we were inspired by classic 90s rave anthems and the power of those vocals and lyrics to lift people and transcend them to another place…”
We listened to Out of View — above the darkest synth-crust possible rises a clatterbox of scattergun rhythms that disperse around the captive & beguiling vocal. This lures and traps the listener into the very heart of consciousness.
Main Picture Photo Credit: Cyrus Mahboubian