Bibio is not one to take it easy. Ever since his proper breakthrough with 2009’s Ambivalence Avenue, he’s been making turns with essentially every project he’s released. From the Ambient of 2017’s Phantom Brickworks to the (in his own words) “organic and woody sounding” Ribbons, it’s been a wild ride.
He’s set to continue that streak with his 10th studio album, the appropriatel titled BIB10. For this album, he found himself fascinated with the guitar as an element of his music. As he explains, “This album is an ode to guitar in a very different way, with the guitars more like building blocks of a larger structure, and the subtle variations and differences with each guitar’s tone and colour make the album more nuanced. I don’t think of it as a guitar album per se, but I feel the foundation to all of the tracks is guitar.“
He also wanted to retain his uniquely organic feeling, expanding, “I wanted this album to sound more polished and slick. But not ‘software perfect’. My influences for studio production mostly come from the 60s, 70s, and 80s where the craft was very different – getting a more polished sound, without ironing the humanity out of it, was part of the ethos.“
The result is a swirling mass of sound, groovy and (naturally) with a heavy helping of guitar. This is perfectly displayed in the album’s opening track, and first single, “Off Goes the Light”. Guided by wavy synths and frolicking guitar, as well as Bibio’s own laid-back vocals, it’s the perfect song for the closure of summer.
Check it out below or on streaming platforms.
BIB10 arrives on October 21 through Warp (pre-order/save). You can find Bibio on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
