Stratus Spring Tide EP

Stratus are Mat Anthony and Martin Jenkins, two English gents whose love for warped soundtracks, fuzzed-out psychedelia and analogue aesthetics was distilled in the bittersweet harmonies and wistful bliss of last year's long-awaited second album 'As the Crow Flies', taking in everything from sublime pastoral electronics through to string-laden cosmic rock. No Johnny-come-lately's to tinkering in the studio down the years they've remixed the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Minimal Compact and Calexico, released records under a variety of aliases for labels including Pussyfoot, Klein, Tigersushi, Hi-Phen, Ghost Box and Fragments whilst notching up the a fair few DJ gigs and lost weekends along the way. The Spring Tide EP finds them dipping their toes in distinctly Balearic waters. Fireflies kicks things off with a mid-tempo cut of driving guitar harmonics, lush Rhodes and sun-kissed strings. My Brother's Keeper channels Cadet-era Dorothy Ashby with a looping harp refrain and low-slung bass and drums. Lune d'Afrique ups the tempo with swinging Afro drums, mbira and swirling arpeggios before a choral refrain takes it up and beyond. Sympatry was originally written for a timelapse film - lilting acoustic guitar, glockenspiel and Mini-moog lines drenched in reverb that shimmer with a homespun beauty. Officially Aficionado !