From Leicester label and studio Bathysphere comes The Buoys, a trio led by Chris Cousin form Sofalofa. Unlike Sofalofa’s pillow soft downtempo, The Buoys is an almost beat-less ambient project, whilst retaining Sofalofa’s ear for warm melody and space. As a studio Bathysphere have been producing theatre and TV soundtracks and incidental music for a long time and here their experience in creating effective emotional backdrops shows. Grillo Parlante opens with ‘Absolutely Nothing’ which a pulsing loop of drone over which skitter percussive pops. Midway through a rich baritone guitar line carves out a structure followed by a lovely bubble synth line, setting up the modus operandi for the remainder of the album. Again on ‘Spider, this combination of crystalline guitar and bubble synth works wonderfully to contrast with the backdrop of processed, grainy noise, whilst ‘Solar’ revolves around an angelic voice against rising drones. Richly produced and full of warm textures and detail, there is much to recommend, and this is another fine release from a small label that deserves to be more widely heard.
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