Northern Irish duo Bicep are releasing their hotly anticipated new album Isles on January 22, and having already dropped “Atlas” and “Apricots”, today they deliver a third pearl, “Saku”, which features Clara La San. On the new track, the duo say:
“We aim to pull influences from a broad range of inspiration when we write music, our tracks often go through many iterations and directions before we settle on the final ingredients. ‘Saku’ feels like a good example of a hybrid for us. We drew from IDM and Footwork via 90s R’n’B, and it was amazing to work with Clara who totally gets that vibe. One of the early demos was 155 BPM and another actually used the vocal from ‘Apricots’ (before it became ‘Apricots’) pitched up. We also had a hang drum melody version but in the end we decided to keep Clara’s voice uncluttered.”
The above quote speaks to the meticulousness of Bicep’s music, and “Saku” is another shining example. The decision to keep La San’s vocal clear and simple was a genius one, as she provides a pop grounding amidst a heady world of production ideas, singing of feelings that are shapeless but with a desire that’s magnetic. Bicep provide a beat that’ll have you two-stepping in double time, and “Saku” holds together layers of melody both calming and enlivening, melding them into an anti-gravitational bliss. It’s the kind of song that can be equally transcendent in a huge warehouse or in a stuffy bedroom – it can transport mind and body wherever you want to go.
Bicep’s new album Isles arrives on January 22 via Ninja Tune. You can find Bicep on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
