MARIBOU STATE
Hallucinating Love (Ninja Tune)
Maribou State have a knack for producing electronic music with rich, warm textures. Their blend of silvery vocals, plaintive strings and hypnotic grooves is just as effective mixed in a DJ set as it is playing in a coffee house – either way, the duo present a masterclass in how to fill a space with majestic sound. On third album Hallucinating Love, they venture into more commercial territory: the choral refrain in Dance On The World would be right at home in a Jungle song (the band, not the genre).
Listen instead to the captivating lead single Blackoak, the uninhibited composition of Eko’s, and the percussion adding an earthy analogue quality on tracks like II Remember. Holly Walker’s sumptuous vocals also make a welcome return on Otherside and Peace Talk. The disco-inflected originality of their 2020 mix for Fabric doesn’t always materialise in this album, but a Maribou State world tour will surely be reinvigorating.
words ROSANNA LEWIS
