A double-header of classy new electronica on Lost in the Manor this week. The first finds London duo Alpines hitting their stride with the immersive euphoric house of ‘No Other Lover’. Unfurling around Catherine Pockson’s sensual vocal, Alpines’ new single confidently traverses club and chart with its commercially savvy chorus, taking some sonic cues from the impervious androidisms of EDM but, crucially, adding a soulful, human edge, facilitating a trancey anthem. Atop a dominant four-to-the-floor break, synth melodies dip and soar for optimum goose-pimpling effect, carrying ‘No Other Lover’ to its potent crescendo. Given pop’s cyclical nature, another summer of love must surely be somewhere on the horizon; Alpines’ debut album, ‘Oasis’, out 26 May on Untrue Records, could serve as seasonal bellwether.
From an altogether later hour, or earlier perhaps, depending on your perception of the pre-dawn darkness, comes ‘Breakthrough’ from Welsh pair Trwbador, released on Owlet Music on 26 May. Something to ease the comedown, it features wise words from London rapper ESSA, his soothing baritone urging “Burn As Bright As You Can Do” over a track that melds a stringed pizzicato loop (a harp maybe) with a heavy sub-bass pulse that could trigger tsunami warnings if mishandled at sea. Like a dubstep MC at yoga or a bassline all-nighter in a health-food store, this compelling mix manages to be both foreboding and forward-looking, reflecting the confusion inherent in many a day, particularly, you’d imagine, those that follow a night out with either of these two acts.
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