Reighnbeau is the project of Albuquerque, New Mexico resident Bryce Hample who, with some help from his friends, makes experimental pop music. Slight, the new Reighnbeau EP, sees Hample enlist the talents of Colleen Johnson (of Flying Circles and Silver Shadows) and Madeline Johnston (of Midwife and Sister Grotto) to create what label Antiquated Future Records describe as “an album that skirts the edges of IDM, dream pop, and electro-folk. Six off-kilter love songs—sparkling pieces of art-pop music for voice, electronics, acoustic guitar, and autoharp.”
These glitchy soundscapes feel like dancefloor fillers and silky smooth smash-hits aimed through a prism, splashing an aural collage of colour and texture in every direction. Lead single ‘Always Been U’ layers modulated vocal samples over a sparkling cacophony of electronics, resulting in something that’s both danceable and strangely affecting.
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The transition into follow-up ‘Gold Face’ is seamless, another cerebral pop song full of sweet vocal loops and subtle nods to IDM tropes. The title track is a staccato pop song that feels like disparate elements pulled into the same orbit, somehow coalescing into a recognisable shape, while ‘INLWY’ is perhaps the release’s most chilled-out moment, tender piano and breathy vocals set against what is possibly the least dense ambience yet.
Closer ‘Trading Heat’ is something of a curve ball, a complete change of direction from the rest of the record. Built on rickety acoustic guitar, it has more in common with weirdo outsider folk than IDM or dream pop. Still, such variation is in keeping with the Reighnbeau spirit, the endless switch and lurch into new areas being the driving force behind their sound. With that in mind, the change in direction is actually anything but. Rather, it is the logical progression of an act based upon a fluid refusal to settle into any one box, and we look forward to seeing where it trickles next.
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Slight is out now on Antiquated Future Records and you can get it on cassette or digital download from their Bandcamp page.
