Album Review: Bonobo - 'Distance in Static'
Bonobo welcomes us into a vibrant, expansive world on his new album ‘Distance in Static'. Once again, he proves that the wait is always worth it. It’s clear that the record was created with so much intention, care, and confidence. He always finds a way to push his sound into new territories while staying true to his ability to craft music that feels organic, soulful, and effortless. Each track creates its own sense of atmosphere and emotion, whether that’s nostalgia, rest, or grandeur.
I love the string arrangements and cinematic atmosphere that open the record on ‘Dawn.’ It beautifully sets the tone before transitioning into ‘Cycles,’ an upbeat groove ready for the dancefloor that incorporates the theme from the album opener. When the track slows down and the beat falls away a couple of times throughout, Bonobo never loses his sense of pace, dynamics, or momentum.
Things slow down on ‘Fire on the Water’ featuring Arooj Aftab, followed by ‘Drift,’ a beautiful downtempo lounge track. Then comes ‘Talk To Me’ featuring Nicole Miglis, one of my favourite singers. She previously appeared on ‘Surface’ from ‘Migration,’ but this collaboration takes things in a more upbeat direction. Her dreamy vocals fit perfectly within the subtle synth pads and humming bassline.
‘Uncasually’ is a minimal house track built around a steady beat and clean synth droplets. It has a vibe that reminds me of the second half of ‘Rosewood’ from ‘Fragments.’ ‘Always on Your Side’ featuring Joy Crookes is an instant classic. It feels like the North Star of the album to me. Her gentle, soulful voice fits so warmly within the space that Bonobo creates. It’s a wonderful collaboration and another example of how his influence extends well beyond the electronic music world.
‘Youth’s Fountain’ featuring Nilüfer Yanya brings a more alt-pop feel, with semi-spoken-word lyricism and smooth horn sections. ‘Shokoufeh,’ the Persian name meaning blossom or flower, brings us into a chill, Middle Eastern-inspired space.
‘Equinoctial’ featuring Ichiko Aoba is one of the album’s most beautiful moments. Her gentle fingerpicking and Bonobo’s synth pads create a dreamy and weightless soundscape, like floating through space and time. It feels like the perfect cool-down after the album’s many ups and downs.
The closing track, ‘Mercury’ featuring Kanako Yamamoto, brings us back home much like how we started the album, with delicate string arrangements, fingerpicked guitar, and subtle percussive elements drifting in and out.
While the album is definitely full of incredible songs, I’m not quick to automatically call it his best work to date. I still believe ‘Black Sands’ is his most definitive piece of work. That could be partly due to my age, when it came out, and where I was in my life at the time, but I also feel like it remains an album you can listen to from start to finish and feel a sense of connective tissue tying everything together. Though there are some common themes and emotional arcs on this record, I don’t feel that same sense of cohesiveness as much on this one.
One of my favourite things about Bonobo is how he essentially plays an A&R role with every album he puts out, using his platform to highlight artists we might not otherwise discover. I’ve found some incredible singers and musicians through his collaborations, and ‘Distance In Static’ continues that tradition. If there’s something I could see him doing quite well in the future, it would be starting his own label to release the music he likes from the new artists he discovers during his travels. Sign me up for that!
4/5
Listen to the full album below.
'Distance in Static' is out now via Ninja Tune.
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