Ebbb - Shallow Hits Ebbb

The scope, variety and ambition of Ebbb’s debut album Shallow Hits is clear from the off. “Come Alive” whirs into being quietly before morphing into a sun-kissed, radiant piece of calypso-esque electronic pop; the Latin-flavoured “Now You Know” feels destined to soundtrack sun-drenched festivals this summer; “Shallow Hits” is as deft and detailed as it is big, bold and euphoric; while the wonky yet propulsive charge of “Side On” sounds like a drum ‘n’ bass club and church choir combined.

A fervent eclecticism and unpredictable restlessness underpins the album. Latterly the record dives into the moody technoid textures and multi-layered harmonies that characterised their debut EP All At Once - exemplified by ‘Youth’ and the closing track “I’m Not Enough” that lands an emotional gut punch to an album that is already littered with them. However there’s a remarkable coherence and identity that underpins the album. Ebbb are exploring far and wide, deep and vast, yet they do so via an approach that remains unmistakably them.

Shallow Hits is an album bursting with ideas, textures, rhythms, detail and emotion. A bold and singular debut record from a group who truly do not sound like anyone else right now.

Recommended if you like… ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, GRIZZLY BEAR, ADULT DVD

Vinyl

Translucent turquoise 140g vinyl in artworked inner, housed in a die-cut outer sleeve. Photographic collage by Mike Six. Design by Flavio Mancini.

CD

CD housed in a die-cut sleeve with artworked inner. Photographic collage by Mike Six. Design by Flavio Mancini.