EP Review: Submotion Orchestra – 1968

Submotion Orchestra are back. The crossover champions have returned with an all-new EP, 1968; their first release since the band’s critically acclaimed second album Fragments last October.

The Leeds seven-piece have successfully etched out a niche for themselves over the last four years by brewing up their own genre; seamlessly fusing together the best elements of dubstep, ambient electronica, jazz and hip-hop.

A difficult balance to pull off, Submotion Orchestra have clearly invested time and effort into this new five-track exploration of sounds having written most of it in the seclusion of deepest rural Wales.

The work and isolation has paid off though as each track offers new perspectives and differing tempos. The band has ensured they marry together the tracks just enough and that makes this EP an intelligently coherent release.

In just over 25 minutes the ethereal vocals of front woman Ruby Wood guide you through the pop tinged opening track ‘Damn Hot’, the perfectly timed drop in the intro of ‘Broken World’, the slow but euphoric build of ‘Hard to Stay’ and the more relaxed sound of title track ‘1968’.

What this EP is best for is the intricacy of the layers, as trumpets and percussion add that the extra dimension to the electronic soundscapes rather than distract. A rumoured third album looks like an enticing prospect indeed.

– Sarah Joy

The 1968 EP is available now.