#submotion

A fresh resurgence within the electronica scene within recent years, Colour Theory is the new(ish) album by outfit The Submotion Orchestra. Released back in February, it’s the band’s fourth full length LP, and they’re showing no sign of slowing down any time soon.  

Drawing from many influences, with genres ranging from jazz to soul and even dubstep at times, the band’s compositional and production style mirrors that of quite a lot of modern electronic artists; with intricacies and rhythmic patterns reminiscent of artists such as Bonobo and Synkro. Throughout all tracks on this new record, TSO deliver with a sound that’s crisp and refreshing to the ear regardless of the style they’re drawing from.

The record opens up with Red Dress, the strong points of the track being vocalist Ruby Wood’s smooth, soul influenced vocals coupled with the intricate percussion and minimalistic soundscape filling in the background. The band are unafraid to shift from the more relaxed energy of songs such as Red Dress, shown when third track Kimono gets into full swing. Oriental introduction aside, it boasts some meaty synthesisers coupled with a dance influenced rhythm that raises the energy of the album whilst also displaying the band’s extensive knowledge of different styles, staying consistent to the band’s distinct sound throughout.

The band seamlessly interchange between songs with vocals and instrumental tracks as the album progresses. Wood’s vocal performance on In Gold contrasts beautifully with the head banging instrumentation in Amira. Other strong points as the album progresses include Needs, a unique composition coupled with the collaboration of soul singer Andrew Ashong, providing a more downbeat, almost melancholic edge to the record, as well as Illusions, Wood’s vocals again impressing, often acting as another layer to the atmosphere as well/instead of being the focal point of the song. The album closes with Ao, a relaxing track that slowly builds up with more sounds and instruments whilst still providing a chilled out ending to the record.

With dates supporting The Cinematic Orchestra in their UK tour coming up very soon, it’s hard not to agree that this group is finally going places, and with stellar reviews for the album thus far, Colour Theory could prove to be one of 2016′s most essential electronic albums.

Support the band: https://submotionorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/colour-theory