British house producer Leon Vynehall has announced his debut album, Nothing Is Still, with the brand new single “Envelopes (Chapter VI).” You can hear the song above.
The downtempo song finds Vynehall challenging his reputation as a house producer with a syrupy instrumental laden with strings. The whole thing feels a bit like a dream at first, starting with the warped sound of airplanes flying overhead before taking shape thanks to a minimal bass and drum part. As the rhythm section urges the song into forward motion, the sound of another melody played backwards clashes with that momentum, suspending the song in a slow-motion moment. Desipite what may seem like a stylistic strech for the artist, Vynehall is completely confident working with such a rich musical canvas.
The album is dedicated to Vynehall’s grandparents, and centers around the story of the two arriving in New York City in the 1960s.
In a press release, Vynehall went into further detail about the album’s concept:
“I knew they had lived in the US and heard many anecdotes, but it was only after Pops died and my Nan presented these Polaroids of their time there; of her waitressing at the New York Mayor’s Ball in ’66, or Pops with horses on a ranch in Arizona, that she delved deeper into their story, and I started to become overtly inquisitive about it.”
The ten track album will also include two complementary elements: a novella and two short films which will help flesh out the album’s narrative.
Vynehall has cultivated a reputation for being an in-demand DJ and has previously released two extended EPs, 2014’s Music For The Uninvited followed by 2016’s Rojus. Nothing Is Still is Vynehall’s first proper full-length album and his first release for Ninja Tune.
1. “From The Sea/It Looms (Chapters I & II)”
2. “Movements (Chapter III)”
3. “Birds On The Tarmac (Footnote III)”
4. “Julia (Footnote IV)”
5. “Drinking It In Again (Chapter IV)”
6. “Trouble – Parts I, II, & III (Chapter V)”
7. “Envelopes (Chapter VI)”
8. “English Oak (Chapter VII)”
9. “Ice Cream (Chapter VIII)”
10. “It Breaks (Chapter IX)”
Nothing Is Still arrives on 6/15 via Ninja Tune records. You can pre-order it here.
