Phantom Island Vinyl & CDs

Review: Swiss imprint Phantom Island specialises in the kind of atmospheric, slow-motion Balearica that looks far and wide for inspiration. Their latest EP, a collaboration between live electronic performer Tillman Ostendarp and singer/songwriter Gina Ete, naturally takes a similar approach. Title track 'Le Bouqet', for example, features subtle nods towards the more atmospheric material on Peter Gabriel's 1980s album 'So' with drowsy chords, ethereal electronics, clicking beats and the sweetest of vocals, while 'Tetra' is creepy, dark and atmospheric in the extreme, with live percussion catching the ear. Elsewhere, 'Nonchalant' is like trip-hop after a hit of opiates, 'Customer Care' is a wonky number with distorted vocals, ambient textures and West African percussion, and Fuga Ronto's remix of 'Le Bouquet' is a retro-futurist leftfield synth-pop gem with added dub delay.

Review: Switzerland's Palace Pasador step out from behind the Fuga Ronto curtain with a dreamy, groove-heavy debut of their own i a tightly wound suite of dub pop vignettes laced with synth shimmer and slow-motion charm. It's a brand new release that pulls from cosmic lounge, vintage dub and leftfield synth-pop, stitched together with just the right amount of space-dusted mystery. 'Footprint Affair' sets the tone with crooning vocals, squelchy bass and starry-eyed synths, while 'Looking For Clovers' rides a gentle shuffle that feels like a love letter to hope itself. 'Fizzy Spells' and 'Susanna's Side Eyes' are lighter, winking affairs, full of charm and earworm melodies. On the flip, dub versions stretch things further into the clouds i 'Alpha Nightsky (Bonus Dub)' in particular is a highlight, all woozy delays and submerged euphoria. It's the kind of record that feels both featherlight and deeply intentional i oddball but intimate, escapist but grounded. Fans of Music From Memory, Not Not Fun, or any sun-bleached Balearic B-sides will find plenty to fall for here. A quietly confident arrival from an act clearly in no rush, and all the better for it.