Tristian Douglas makes a return to Planet Mu for his third studio album on a label whose previous outings include the sounds of Burial, Luke Vibert, Boxcutter and Machinedrum. The Canadian’s Delphi LP follows the 2016 release of Virtuous.scr and 2017’s Sponsored Content, for another story which combines electronic music with topics from the real world. This time it’s love and romance which take the role of inspiration, and a fictional character by the name of Delphi. Douglas gives
Delphi a voice which allows her to transcribe tales from her own WhatsApp archives, and the album artwork itself includes a mobile phone with an open conversation reading “it’s kind of confusing when you want to skype and say all these intense things then ghost me idk”. At points, it kind of comes off in an emotionally vulnerable teenage perspective, but by the end of the album, it’s more of a reminder into how much technology is used, for better or worse, in our everyday lives, right down to simply talking to the people we love. The production itself is incredibly sharp, down to every melody and percussive hit, everything is where it should be. It’s when we get into the sounds that things become equally exciting and eclectic. Some tracks are glitch heavy, rhythmic monsters, while a few of the more downtempo, ambient sounds seem like they could be lifted straight off a soundtrack for the next Nintendo franchise OST.
Where to start:
‘Queasy’ – Snappy percussion and heavily pitched vocal samples
‘Cave Moth’ – Glitchy soundscapes, emotive synth pads and a weighty low end
‘Delphi’ – Rhythmic and repetitive vocal chops dance around a flurry of drum hits
Previous from Antwood:
Virtuous.scr LP (2015, Planet Mu)
Sponsored Content LP (2017, Planet Mu)
If you like this then check out:
Oli XL – Rogue Intruder, Soul Enhancer (2019, BLOOM)
Toxe – Blinks EP (2018, PAN)
Antwood’s Delphi is out now on Planet Mu.