Cloud Boat, the London electronic duo of Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke, have released a few singles in the lead-up to their anticipated sophomore record, Model of You.
“Hallow” is the latest glimpse into Cloud Boat’s upcoming electronic offering. Winding in layers of clipped samples, a building, layered guitar line that carves around the edges, and an emotional confessional that binds it all together, “Hallow” is calmly arresting in its abilities. It’s hardly a surprise to hear that the band has connections to James Blake, but where Blake has mastered the art of electronic devastation with deep, dark downbeats, Cloud Boat are a bit more in focus, and upbeat, about their contemplation.
“It’s bold, bigger, and more ambitious,” notes Ricketts, of Model of You, their follow-up to their 2013 debut, “If our first album was dark and a little weird, then this one feels more optimistic and expansive.”
Model of You is out July 15 on Apollo.
