Riffing on the lighter side of electronica and dance-floor music, the UK-based sound designer and producer Verdance is looking to make a positive splash with his latest LP; released through Loci Records, Islands is an 8 track album that moves like a puddle-jump through sound. Verdance transports listeners across a variety of environments, and brings organic, lush, natural soundscapes to life with IDM-inspired motifs and progressive songwriting fundamentals. Sitting amongst the Loci Records cast of musicians and creatives, it stands out as a particularly upbeat, driving collection of pointed tracks.

The album begins with “Rudolf Island”, an homage to spoken word poetry met with the powerful emotional ride of downtempo electronica, and it's the kind of dynamism that allows the listener to gently engage with the album’s conceptual field of play. Then as if waking up from a dream, we enter into “Brava”; located off the coast of Portugal, the song pays homage to the namesake islands’ verdant ecology. The spectrum is awash with lush tones, humid vibrations, and soft broken beats juxtaposed against delicate harp plucks that decorate the melody. The further one travels into this sandy repertoire, the more pronounced the blissed-out compositions become. Building these expansive musical worlds is Verdance’s speciality, with Islands' airy canopy providing fertile ground for lively, organic arrangements.

The relaxing and engaging nature of this album sets the scene for release and introspection, letting the waves roll over and let the tide come in. Dreamy, thought provoking textures and sonic ecosystems make Verdance’s latest collection a must listen on a warm summer day, with a cocktail to match. Uplifting, adventurous, and inventive, Islands is an exquisite equatorial experience that warms the air and soothes the soul, and couldn’t have a better home than amongst the roster of like-minded producers at Loci Records.

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