Four Tet’s latest album, Pink, is out digitally today.
It’s something of a departure for Kieran Hebden – and not only because it’s considerably more danceable than his usual fare. The record collects a series of vinyl-only singles released on his own Text label over the last two years, giving it the feel of a missive from the centre of the dancefloor rather than a home-crafted, long-form statement.
Given its content, though, much of the record will be familiar to close Four Tet followers. By way of making amends, Hebden has included two new, previously unheard tracks on the release – both of which you can stream below [via Stereogum].
‘Lion’ is a prime example of Hebden’s recent run of form: for the first two minutes it’s just percussion, a spindly but surprisingly muscular four-four loop unfolding at a hypnotic pace. Gradually, a maudlin synth loop wends its way gracefully into the foreground, but its melodic impetus never dominates the track’s rhythmic backbone. ‘Peace For Earth’, meanwhile, is a beatless, slow-burning 11 minute epic, opening with blissful, pellucid textures before reconfiguring itself as rippling synth minimalism.
Pink is out now on Text Records.