It’s been over a year since we were first bewitched by the multi-stylistic electronica of London based musical collective, Polaroid 85. The three tracks of their debut Fuzzy Mornings EP were played over and over, and then over and over some more while we waited for more. Eventually the promise came, more music soon, a new EP in 2013 and like a blog Brad and Janet to a Polaroid 85 Frank ‘N’ Furter, we shivered with antici…
…pation at the prospect of new music and we waited patiently. Then waited some more. While time has flown by this year it has felt like it has stood still as well, the clock seemingly never ticking closer to the reveal. Then eventually, at last, an announcement. An EP, Escapist would be released in June, the wait was almost over. Now came the excitement and expectation, and the nagging feeling that absence had made the heart’s fondness exaggerated beyond what was reasonable. Had we allowed Fuzzy Mornings to acquire a God like status in our mind? Had its beauty become mythical in our remembrance and did Escapist even stand a chance to match up?
Deep breath, press play, take it all in. Pause, regroup, press play again, and again, and again.
Relax. It’s a triumph.
The sounds of Escapist are both reassuringly familiar yet sufficiently different from its predecessor to offer both a comforting embrace and a heart quickening moment of passion. It is more mature, more cohesive and coherent than Fuzzy Mornings, each track feels more rounded, broader and more varied. The intricacy remains, layers of sound entwine and dance together as one; orchestral arrangements, jazz flourishes, drum and bass, glitchy electronica, breakbeats, trip-hop; all live a symbiotic existence to produce cool, swirling marbled soundscapes. “The Time” and “Freefall” in particular have the liquidity of sound that we fell so in love with before, but with a new element, an added sense of delicate urgency played out through the elaborate drum patterns beneath.
More than any other, “The Birds” showcases a perhaps under-appreciated element of Polaroid 85, the lyrical content. It is easy to get lost in such sublime musical arrangements but “The Birds” cleverly shifts focus back and shifts the sound. Tori Amos like, the piano glides alongside Neeta’s velveteen vocals, occasional woodwind embellishments add to the softness before the strings come and lift us higher. To all intents and purposes it is Polaroid 85’s pop song.
It’s been a long time coming but unquestionably Escapist has been worth the wait. Each of the five tracks beguiles the listener and transports them to a world of soothed and invigorated bliss. Press play and let the music carry you away.
The ‘Escapist’ EP is released on 9 June on Reel Me Records.
Read More: ’P’ is for Polaroid 85.
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Alphabet Bands 
nice words here about the EP, well done.