Ninja Tune heavyweights Bicep are back with their first release since 2018’s Rain EP. After premiering the track on BBC Radio 1, the duo gifted ‘Atlas’ to fans across streaming platforms. “Atlas” features a skittering synth line dancing over dreamy atmospheric elements and an off-kilter drum pattern; in other words, it’s an immediate hit.
On Ninja Tune’s website, Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar (a.k.a. Bicep) explained how their fluid performance style influenced their studio sessions while working on “Atlas”:
“What we enjoyed most from playing tracks live is how flexible it was…For instance how an element from a track could be interpreted in many different ways and not be reliant on the rest of the original tune. Having the songs broken down in this way means we can really perform them in a drastically different way, based on the setting.”
THE TRACK WAS OUR ATTEMPT AT SUMMING UP SOME OF THE EUPHORIC MOMENTS WE EXPERIENCED ON THAT TOUR ACROSS THOSE TWO YEARS. IT FEELS LIKE THOSE MOMENTS ARE VERY FAR AWAY FOR ALL OF US, BUT WE HOPE THIS SERVES AS SOME FORM OF DISTRACTION AMIDST ALL THIS CHAOS.
— BICEP (@feelmybicep) March 24, 2020
Photo Credit: Facebook BICEP