Photo by Serena Mirambeau Brey
Who is it?
THALAB, two cousins from Barcelona currently living in London. We stumbled across them a while back when we started our What’s Your Sound section and have been in love ever since, naming them Sound of ’17 back in January. Their EP A Good Swim is out now, and it takes Thalab’s slick, balearic sound to a new level.
Why should you listen to it?
While THALAB‘s previous releases like Jule or Wreck fused electronica with sunlit guitars and driving rhythms, A Good Swim takes energy levels down a notch, instead opting for a decidedly more chilly and reserved tone – it is certainly informed by their move to London, which exposed the two brothers to more bleak and cold surroundings. The title track, in all its playfulness, hints at darker places: ‘And in my sleep / All I do is crawl, crawl, crawl / My way through the dream’ mourns Oscar Guardans, as brassy synthesizers, plucky bass lines and gentle percussion back him. The vintage-stylised bass playing is a constant on A Good Swim, bringing in groove in places where a more moody, electronic aesthetic prevails. There are shades of METRONOMY, MOUNT KIMBIE and contemporary electronica here, but listening to tracks like 2 Sails or the urgent Morning, Before My Plant Dies, you get the sense that THALAB have carved out a distinct sound for themselves.
What’s next?
The gentlemen have just returned from playing a mini tour of North America and presenting their EP A Good Swim at a live-streamed show in London, which you can rewatch here.
Everyday we’re adding NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION‘s Daily Tune to our ongoing Spotify playlist, packed with all the hidden treasures by those talented newcomers you need to know. Listen and follow right here.
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