Leeds-based collective Submotion Orchestra may be known for their musical diversity, however fifth studio offering Kites is firmly framed by the rich, cinematic jazz which defined their aptly titled 2011 debut Finest Hour, and which here provides their most focused piece since.
Whilst Kites doesn’t quite soar to that album’s heights, opener and latest single Prism provides a smouldering start: Ruby Wood’s sultry vocals drift over heart-swelling strings, building to a dizzying climax with shuddering drums underpinning a chorus of piano and horn. It sits among their finest offerings to date. Variations follows, with minimalist piano and glancing electro-inflections tempering things, before Submotion Orchestra’s emotive blend leads Kites into the realm of musical melodrama as vividly evidenced on Night and Branches. It’s a sound which at times threatens to debase their jazz credentials; however, their indulgence proves hard to resist amid Branches' impossibly seductive waltz.
| A1 | Prism |
| A2 | Variations |
| A3 | Night |
| A4 | Kites |
| A5 | Bridge |
| B1 | Own |
| B2 | Branches |
| B3 | Youth |
| B4 | Tunnel |
| B5 | Alone |
