Information/Write-up
If Islands' last record, (2021's Islomania) was a Saturday Night Fever dream, then the follow up--2023's And That's Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs--is the Sunday Morning comedown.
Taking a giant leap forward, replete with addictive hooks at every turn, Dolphins (the 9th in the catalogue), stands out as the strongest and most articulate Islands record yet. Nick Thorburn and band manage to slyly tap into both the pain and the joy of living, often simultaneously, while stripping the music down to its simplest element: a strange sample rubbing up against a bouncing bassline, a snappy kick and snare firing off against a persistent, hooky guitar line.
Though refined and deliberate, the music has a certain playfulness that Thorburn hasn’t tapped into in quite some time. The record is a notable departure from previous outings, but the DNA of Thorburn's early work, namely his first band The Unicorns, can be heard clearly throughout songs like "Headlines", "Life's A Joke" and "And All You Can Do is Laugh”.
Dolphins, which came together over a methodical, carefully considered multi-year process, continues Thorburn's fruitful collaboration with co-producer Patrick Ford (!!!), and features production on a few songs from Chris Coady (Beach House) and Mike Stroud (Ratatat).
credits
released August 25, 2023
ISLANDS:
Nick Thorburn
Adam Halferty
Geordie Gordon
Evan Gordon
All songs written by Nick Thorburn
except
And All You Can Do is Laugh by Nick Thorburn, Mark Ives & Mike Stroud
Produced by Patrick Ford & Nick Thorburn
except "Too Far Gone" by Patrick Ford
& "Pelican" By Mike Stroud
Mixed by Omar Yakar
Mastered by Mark Chalecki
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