Hidden Shoal News
Jumpel Releases Beautiful New Album “Drive”
Hidden Shoal is excited to announce the release of Drive, the sixth album by German ambient-electronica artist Jumpel. The album is available via Bandcamp, Spotify and all good online stores.
All songs from Drive along with the rest of the Jumpel catalogue are available for licensing across film, tv, web, games and beyond. Check out our licensing page for more info and don’t hesitate to contact us to see how we can work together on your project.
On Drive, Jumpel invites the listener to accompany him on the journey he takes to his studio. The ride begins at Jo Dürbeck’s home (‘Get U Ready’), takes in small towns, fields and forest (‘Forest Section’), before ending in the middle of Cologne (‘Soaring Spires’). Each of the nine tracks paints a vivid sonic picture of one stage of the journey, as gently pulsing rhythms are counterbalanced by delicate melodic figures. Accessible and deeply evocative, Drive transfixes and transports the listener across its succinct half-hour of dub-inflected ambient pop.
“Qualitatively spacious, electronically dense, cinematically enthralling and calmly floating” – Igloo Magazine
The album’s gentle pattering of subtle rhythms is counterbalanced with delicate melodic figures which transfix/hypnotise as much as they transport.
Epic New Battlestations Album, “Splinters, Vol II: Bruise”, Out Now!
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the release of Splinters Vol II: Bruise, the epic new album from shadowy instrumental project Battlestations. The album is available to download via Bandcamp and the first track lifted from the album, ‘Unelind’, can be streamed via SoundCloud. The music of Battlestations is available to license for use in film, tv, games, web etc via Hidden Shoal.
Without the focus of the human voice, it’s all too easy to label instrumental music as “cinematic”; instead, Splinters Vol II: Bruise justifies this label by presenting a masterfully handled sonic analog to cinema. The album is a wonderful marriage of texture and melody, the earthly and the cosmic; this is visceral ambient at its very best – tactile and sublimely transportative. Opening track ‘Bruise’ is a perfect example of Battlestations’ complex and multi-faceted craft, slowly building over its 23 minutes like a slow-motion tsunami, drawing together musical elements as it pushes toward an unseeable horizon. Like the unrelenting yet mesmerizing opening scene of a Christopher Nolan film, ‘Bruise’ takes the listener by the hand and pulls them into the frame. This momentum is wonderfully sustained for the album’s duration, the album music refusing to recede into the background, but rather demanding the listener’s full attention.
Stunning New Kramies Single Featuring Patrick Carney & Jason Lytle
Hidden Shoal is excited to present ‘Days Of,’ the first single off Kramies’ new self-titled EP. This alluring and emotional centerpiece from his beautiful new constellation of songs was produced by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. ‘Days Of’ also features Carney on drums and guitar as well as Jason Lytle of Grandaddy on synths and sounds. Download the track from Bandcamp and stream via Spotify and SoundCloud
This union of talent between these beloved artists, as well as Kramies’s individual distinctive style and vocals, results in an example of finely honed craft. With lyrics reflecting on mortality and nostalgia set to flourishes of sonic creativity, “Days Of” sets the tone for what is to be Kramies’ most highly anticipated EP yet.
The music of Kramies is available for licensing (film, tv, web, games etc) through Hidden Shoal.
Beautiful New Otinget Single, ‘The Vagabond’, Out Now
Hidden Shoal is excited to announce the release of the second single lifted from The Greatest Thing That Never Happened… Yet, the debut release from Swedish trio Otinget. The album delivers a mesmerising suite of songs, blending delicate folk, strident post-rock, lilting Americana and brooding slowcore – plus a special guest appearance by Dungen lead guitarist Reine Fiske. The single is available for streaming via SoundCloud with the album will see release on the 17th of September 2021. The music of Otinget is available for licensing (film, tv, web etc) via Hidden Shoal.
On title track and first single, Fiske helps build the song from its gentle rollicking intro to its feverish conclusion. Opener ‘The Sea’ weaves mesmerising, spidery guitar lines before the bassline references the Hendrix classic ‘Hey Joe’. ‘The Vagabond’ manages to seamlessly fuse math-rock guitar lines with a bluesy swagger, highlighting both the band’s songwriting smarts and their formidable ability as performers. ‘But Something Came Over Me’ is a brooding slice of atmospheric pop, building up and falling away in equal measures over its runtime. And the album closes with ‘Further’, a majestic re-working of a song by one of Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s other projects, The Slanted City.
“delights at every turn… an unfailingly tuneful and entertaining whole that transcends its techniques through sheer musicality” – Music is Good on Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s album Recollage
Otinget was born in an abandoned industrial building on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, where Victor Alneng (Infra) and Tomas Eriksson (Magnolia, My Brother the Wind) made music in various, shifting constellations. Erik Nilsson (The Slanted City), acquainted with Alneng from their university days, joined on guitar and later vocals, and together they discovered a synergy worth exploring further: the interplay between Eriksson’s imaginative drumming, Alneng’s melodic bass playing and Nilsson’s fingerstyle guitar. On their debut album Otinget are joined on a couple of tracks by Reine Fiske (Dungen) and Mathias Danielsson (My Brother the Wind).
New Memorybell Single and Music Video
Hidden Shoal is excited to present the first single lifted from Glass Garden, the fourth album by American neoclassical minimal ambient artist Memorybell. The single is available to stream via SoundCloud and is accompanied by a music video by Australian artist Cam Merton, available to stream via YouTube. The album sees release on the 10th September 2021 through Hidden Shoal.
Created during lockdown and inspired by the science fiction narratives of The Stars My Destination and Silent Running, the new album confronts the ache of loneliness and isolation with a healthy dose of hope. As Outerbridge explains, “At the start of the lockdown, I existed in a state of unease… I revisited many of my old, unreleased recordings, searching for inspiration… I chose four songs that sit well together, tweaked and manipulated them, and created three new, complimentary tracks. Something new from something old. Not a revolutionary concept, but a comforting one, when faced with an existential threat.”
True to the album’s title, the sound palette is organic, reflective and beautiful, as sustained tones bloom into clear space. Bookended by shorter tracks ‘Limbic Drift’ and ‘Here’, the album stretches out on the 17-minute ‘Distant Fire’ and the 11-minute ‘Broken Petals’. Generous in scope and open-hearted in timbre, Glass Garden zeroes in on intimate instrumental tones and expands them into environments to inhabit and explore.
“Essential to anyone searching for an aural retreat from an over-compressed world of packaged sound… Highly recommended for fans of solo piano and intersected genres, where Brian Eno meets Satie.” – Headphone Commute on Obsolete
Debut Otinget Single (Feat. Reine Fiske of Dungen)
On their debut release, The Greatest Thing That Never Happened… Yet, Swedish trio Otinget deliver a mesmerising suite of songs, blending delicate folk, strident post-rock, lilting Americana and brooding slowcore – plus a special guest appearance by Dungen lead guitarist Reine Fiske. The single is available for streaming via SoundCloud and the album will see release on the 17th of September 2021. The music of Otinget is available for licensing (film, tv, web etc) via Hidden Shoal.
On title track and first single, Fiske helps build the song from its gentle rollicking intro to its feverish conclusion. Opener ‘The Sea’ weaves mesmerising, spidery guitar lines before the bassline references the Hendrix classic ‘Hey Joe’. ‘The Vagabond’ manages to seamlessly fuse math-rock guitar lines with a bluesy swagger, highlighting both the band’s songwriting smarts and their formidable ability as performers. ‘But Something Came Over Me’ is a brooding slice of atmospheric pop, building up and falling away in equal measures over its runtime. And the album closes with ‘Further’, a majestic re-working of a song by one of Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s other projects, The Slanted City.
“delights at every turn… an unfailingly tuneful and entertaining whole that transcends its techniques through sheer musicality” – Music is Good on Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s album Recollage
Otinget was born in an abandoned industrial building on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, where Victor Alneng (Infra) and Tomas Eriksson (Magnolia, My Brother the Wind) made music in various, shifting constellations. Erik Nilsson (The Slanted City), acquainted with Alneng from their university days, joined on guitar and later vocals, and together they discovered a synergy worth exploring further: the interplay between Eriksson’s imaginative drumming, Alneng’s melodic bass playing and Nilsson’s fingerstyle guitar. On their debut album Otinget are joined on a couple of tracks by Reine Fiske (Dungen) and Mathias Danielsson (My Brother the Wind).
New Single from The World of Dust Forthcoming Album
Hidden Shoal is excited to announce the first single from True Sound, the new album from The World of Dust, the musical project of Stefan Breuer, featuring Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices, Robert Pollard, Circus Devils). The single is available to stream on SoundCloud and the album will see release on the 10th of September 2021 through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. The music of The World of Dust is available for licensing via Hidden Shoal (film, tv, web etc).
In some ways a concept album, True Sound charts a very personal exploration of the life and death of Stefan Breuer’s grandparents. The unique overarching narrative that plays out with each song, and the warmth of the delivery, unites the album into a moving and consistent whole. As with The World of Dust’s acclaimed previous album, Samsara, the instrumental elements on True Sound were created by Todd Tobias, who sent them to Breuer to write and sing the lyrics. Tobias’s wonderfully melodic compositions call to mind his work with Robert Pollard, creating a haunting marriage when combined with Breuer’s pure vocal tones, reminiscent of The White Birch’s Ola Flottum.
The mesmerising, drumless opening track ‘Sailing’ introduces Breuer’s grandfather, Jan (whose personal effects are on display in the Museum of Vlaardingen), over insistent, metallic guitar and burbling modulation. First single ‘Goodbye’ has a charming, wistful sway and gorgeous vocal harmonies, which belie its sobering story of Jan’s battle with cancer. Jan’s first wife, who passed away during childbirth, is commemorated on ‘Petronella’s Death’, with its elegant, descending guitar figures. And Breuer’s grandmother is touchingly memorialised on the elegant tempo shift and eerie arpeggios of ‘Nel’s Passing’. Ultimately, True Sound is testament to the liberation that comes from letting go.
“Its power lies in the intimacy… without drowning in desolate melancholy” – hifi.nl
Liminal Drifter ‘Lured by the Lounge’ – New Single!
Following on from recent single ‘Child’s Play’ and his amazing run in the U.S. college radio charts (#1 chill record of 2020!), Liminal Drifter presents his new single, ‘Lured by the Lounge’. Blending the louche, sax-driven swagger of latter-day Roxy Music with the thick bass textures of The Orb, ‘Lured by the Lounge’ is a sophisticated, nocturnal slice of ‘90s-indebted electronica. The track is lifted from Liminal Drifter’s forthcoming EP, due out later in the year.
“As the introspective electronica plays us out, it’s not hard to imagine a utopia being enveloped by the soothing and thoughtful sounds of Liminal Drifter.” – Xpress Mag on Connected
Download via Bandcamp, stream via Spotify and the rest. The music of Liminal Drifter is available for licensing via Hidden Shoal (film, tv, web games etc). Check here for more details.
Moonchy & Tobias “Venus Mirror” EP Out Now!
We’re proud to announce the release of Venus Mirror, the sublime new EP from Moonchy & Tobias. The EP is available now through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. Head to Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and the rest to soak in this beautiful release.
Venus Mirror is a buoyant follow-up to the brooding, nocturnal atmospheres of the duo’s 2020 release Moonchy & Tobias III, the luminous, soothing Venus Mirror is infused with an almost tropical sway. On ‘Specchio Di Venere’, Tobias’ modulated synth, tuned percussion and acoustic guitar paint a widescreen scene, over which Moonchy’s vocal traces a mesmerizing wordless melody. On the other six tracks, Moonchy sings both in her native Italian and in ancient Latin, her voice soaring and graceful in turns. In the single ‘Delibo,’ the warm major sevenths of jazz are chilled by a shivering wind. ‘Leniter’ brings the EP to a fittingly ambiguous close, setting the listener adrift on see-sawing, reverb-drenched piano lines.
The music of Moonchy & Tobias is available for licensing for film, tv, web and beyond via Hidden Shoal.
New Moonchy & Tobias Single, EP in June
We’re excited to announce the release of ‘Delibo, the new single from the forthcoming Moonchy & Tobias EP, Venus Mirror. The single is available now to download via Bandcamp and stream via SoundCloud ahead of the EP release on 5th June through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. ‘Delibo’ is also accompanied by a beautiful music video from Pat Moonchy.
Venus Mirror is a buoyant follow-up to the brooding, nocturnal atmospheres of the duo’s 2020 release Moonchy & Tobias III, the luminous, soothing Venus Mirror is infused with an almost tropical sway. On ‘Specchio Di Venere’, Tobias’ modulated synth, tuned percussion and acoustic guitar paint a widescreen scene, over which Moonchy’s vocal traces a mesmerizing wordless melody. On the other six tracks, Moonchy sings both in her native Italian and in ancient Latin, her voice soaring and graceful in turns. In the single ‘Delibo,’ the warm major sevenths of jazz are chilled by a shivering wind. ‘Leniter’ brings the EP to a fittingly ambiguous close, setting the listener adrift on see-sawing, reverb-drenched piano lines.
The music of Moonchy & Tobias is available for licensing for film, tv, web and beyond via Hidden Shoal.