Halftribe – Daydreams in Low Fidelity

Coasting through sensations of melancholy, tranquillity, and solitude, ‘Daydream’s in Low Fidelity’ is soothing and sublime. Swelling synths weave around subtle percussive anchors, resting on a bed of ever changing and granular textures. Found sounds such as the ‘playground’ ambience heard in the album’s third track, ‘Coastal Lows’, is a throwback to the likes of Boards of Canada, before making way to a rise of organic and natural sonic captures. The production values and techniques of Ryan Bisset, under the recording alias of Halftribe, are outstandingly detailed, continuing the high standard delivered time and time again on the Valencia based label, Archives. The vocal-like tones that appear on ‘A Thousand Colours’, track five, are reminiscent of those heard amidst the grainy textures crafted by Burial, although here they exist in a much gentler setting. There are points within this album where careful repetition, developing drones and looping sound fragments, creates a timeless trance; as intriguing as they are nurturing. The album’s seventh and title track makes way for sharper synthetic textures and instrumental sounds, awash with dissolving echoes and a cascading sense of space that seamlessly fades into the distance. The first run of ‘Daydreams in Low Fidelity’ sold out quickly, and fortunately for all a reissue has been produced by Archives, and is available via the label’s Bandcamp page.