Released: February 17
Electronic masters Orbital grapple with pandemic politics on their 10th LP ‘Optical Delusion’.
Phil and Paul Hartnoll’s latest collection, their first since 2018’s ‘Monsters Exist’, arrives ahead of a long-awaited reissue series courtesy of London Records and examines the lasting effects of the past two years via their unique brand of politically-fuelled EDM.
Armed with a line-up of collaborators including The Mediaeval Baebes and Sleaford Mods, both of whom offer drastically different takes on the subject matter, its stands out from previous ‘lockdown albums’; where others have detailed the situation quite literally, the duo’s take on the period is largely conveyed through attacking instrumentals and metaphor-heavy melodies.
On opening number Ringa Ringa, for example,The Mediaeval Baebes sings nursery rhyme Ring a Ring o’ Roses – often interpreted to be about the plague. It does get more pointed, though, as post-punk duo Sleaford Mods offer a scathing lyric urging people to take personal responsibility for their political preferences.
‘People talk about the right way to live / Shut up you don’t know what ya on about / You voted for ‘em, look at ya / You dirty rat,’ sings Jason Williamson in a particularly cutting verse.
Across the record, eight of the 10 tracks feature guest performers, while the remaining numbers – The New Abnormal and Requiem For The Pre Apocalypse – channel the intensity of their message via heavy-hitting beats.
Although poignant in its subject matter, ‘Optical Delusion’ doesn’t read as a lecture; as with Orbital’s earliest material, they let the music do the talking, with a rallying call to face up against the authorities at play.
Accompanied by a complete instrumental album, it’s a groundbreaking body of work that showcases the duo’s continued excellence in the genre and, three decades since their breakthrough, the enduring significance of their music and mission in an era when the rave ethos has never been more necessary.
‘Optical Delusion’ is available now.
