Words by Nick Mee. @Nickjmee
It’s the jaw-dropping percussive engine that takes top billing on ‘Ebb & Flow’, a sparking, surging mix of live kit and twitchy breaks, all shrouded in a warm haze of guitar FX and electro drone. The rhythmic flurries sound like they hinge on the work of a skilled jazz sticksman, and Brighton four-piece Luo are, by all accounts, a startling live proposition, blending the trad and the tech to craft a showcase pitching up between downtempo dubsteppy nocturnes and adventurous post-rock. We may have tuned into Luo an instant too late to take in the quartet’s recent London date, but ‘Ebb & Flow’ is progressive electronica at its most atmospheric, and will surely lead to the band being invited to get into their groove over and over. We’re counting on it.
Ebb & Flow is out on 9 October on Small Pond Recordings