PIAS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Sheffielder Matthew Relton - initially known as Kidnap Kid, but now releasing as Kidnap - has been on quite a musical journey since first emerging as a boisterous garage and UK bass producer early last decade. His first full-length, 2020's Grow, showcased his maturation as an artist by focusing on songs and instrumentals that tended towards the tactile and picturesque. On this follow-up, he's leaned further into the "artist maturing" theme via a blend of picturesque songs (voiced by regular collaborator Ian Stannard, Gabrielle Apin and others') and ambient instrumentals shot through with yearning, oblique nostalgia, delicate instrumental arrangements and plenty of sweeping, cinematic chord sequences. It's not pop, per se, but it is hugely accessible with tons of crossover potential. Expect to see him on festival stages in the months and years ahead.

Review: Erland Oye and Eirik Grambek Boe have a lengthy history together. Long before they formed Kings of Convenience the pair were in the same class at school, writing comedic raps about their teacher then founding Skog ("forest"), their first joint stab at 'serious' music. Today, the duo have a string of gold and silver certified albums behind them. This is one. Originally released in 2009, 15 years on Declaration of Dependence still sounds as calmly breathtaking as it did back then. Quiet, soft, gentile, yet anything but twee, the sound straddles the line between indie pop and indie folk, and also represented the start of a new era in music distribution - getting its initial release as an exclusive for subscribers of a certain streaming platform, but that's another story.

Review: Frankfurt's Gregor Tresher returns with his first album in eight years. The 16-track LP offers up his famously dynamic techno sound and rich synth designs with element of dance floor clout underpinning each tune. From his beginnings in Frankfurt's 90s techno scene to collaborations with icons like Depeche Mode, Moby and Extrawelt, Tresher's career has been marked by critically acclaimed releases and False Gods is one of his most ambitious projects yet. It's an accomplished and introspective journey through modern electronic music enriched by collaborations with some notable friends.