Beach Ready - Archipelago

"My wife works as a picture editor and has an extensive archive of photos taken whilst travelling in her twenties. I came across a photo from the collection that depicted a boat being readied to sail from an Island. I immediately thought how the picture would make a brilliant album cover. With that in mind, I started to write music that would relate to the picture. The subtext being that although the picture looked like an idyllic island getaway there is the ever advancing threat of that set of islands being submerged and destroyed through climate change."

Beach Ready continued to write and find titles that would fit the theme.

Sonically, "Archipelago" is darker in texture and more extreme than the critically acclaimed self-titled Beach Ready debut album. Destruction being the central theme. But there are chinks of light that shine brightly through with the uplifting opener 'Fireflies" and the minimalist piano melancholy of "Redemption" There are moments of abrasion with the unsettling "Shipwreck", (featuring an enignatic video from reknown Abu Dhabi based artist, Spencer Hogg) and the powerful "Graphene" which features chilling spoken word contribution from Propaganda legend and previous Jack Adaptor and Cordoba collaborator, Claudia Brucken.

Even though the album contains mostly atmospheric, ambient, drone soundscapes the record contains a moment of pure alternative, electro-pop with "Allucinate" which features the considerable vocal talents of Boe Huntress. The 2 met whilst both performing at a David Bowie tribute concert shortly after his death. Allcucinate has already been played on UK radio and would no doubt meet the approval of the thin white duke himself. Both BR and Boe being fans of his work, particularly the album "Low".

As with the first BR album, Cordoba's hallmark guitar and atmospherics pervade every track. Guitar, without necessarily coming overtly to the fore, stealthily comes to the listener from all angles whilst not sounding like conventional guitar. Incorporating drone, glitch, Frippertronics, industrial, new wave and new age to create a unique sound collage of urgent ambience.

The title track is a shimmering and romantic call to keep the Archipelago (The Gili Islands in Indonesia) above water so that it's beauty can be treasured for generations to come.