Richard O’Flynn, Guro Gikling, and Luis Santos each call Ireland, Norway, and Brazil home, respectively, but the three musicians met and formed All We Are while at university in England. Recording in isolated spaces in Norway and Wales, the trio came full circle by putting finishing touches on their debut at a unused studio space at their former university in Liverpool, before completing All We Are with producer Dan Carey (Hot Chip, Bat For Lashes) in London.
“Stone,” is a gorgeous, exquisitely crafted introduction to the band—all three members contribute vocals, but here it’s bassist Gikling who leads listeners through a building undercurrent of ambient bass, resonating electric guitars, and echoing drums that swell into a drifting chorus that fades in and out from the scene. The diligent and purposeful intricacies of the band’s delicate sound are an impressive display of exceptional substance that supports its meticulous, precarious aims. Fittingly, the band notes of the accompanying visuals that “the loneliness inherent in the track is represented by footage taken by NASA of our solar system, reminding us that we are all alone and distant on this pale blue dot.”
All We Are is out February 3 on Double Six/Domino.
