Atmospheric and cinematic from the opening moments of organic and electronic sound-play intertwined, Bad Bubble‘s recognizable creative approach is familiar, though instantly seems to reach new levels of ambiance, for the beautiful introduction to Underscore’s Accord.
Continuing this all-consuming story of love and loss, the new project again utilizes instrumental power to ignite a sense of glory and elegance, for Concinnous. Skill and emotion walk hand in hand through a sort of dream-world of beauty and contemplation.
Up next is an electro realm akin to the eighties ethereal soundscapes and effected vocals of Depeche Mode. Multi-layered and surprisingly catchy, Bigger Smart lights up a new side of Bad Bubble, and still makes use of those unmistakable vocal peaks as the passion evolves.
This perhaps more mainstream approach to songwriting proves a trait throughout Underscore’s Accord. May I? follows with similar familiarity and simplicity, an almost emo-like ode to a significant other, with gentle vocals that rise and fall like waves of reflective wonder. Once again, the composition is far from predictable, with the energy and emotion growing towards the end – an artistic overall, rather that strictly just a song.
Underscore’s Accord explores the decisions the renowned Underscore has had to make, and the subsequent effects of these. It does so with a refreshing balance of musical optimism and retro electronic sound-play to present a multitude of different vocal tones. The Heart Is A Weapon juxtaposes these qualities as a fine example, and Runc follows with further lyrical pain and musical calm intertwined.
Injecting a sudden burst of pace and rhythm is Rabid Mute, intriguing by topic and immediacy combined, rising up towards those evocative peaks once again during the latter half. Then we get the return of The Eggs – Pt 3 uniting piano and drawn-out vocal longing to recapture the melancholy and depth of the topic.
Whilst many of the lyrics fall quiet under a blanket of production, certain ones pierce through to quickly connect. Cozy Grey Shoes begins with ‘If I found some place for us to go,’ and aptly draws you in for an intimate and hopeful listen.
Things drop right down to heartbroken and desperate, for You’re Going To Need More Roses – space-like production again contrasting the vulnerability and humanity of the lyrics, before shifting into an easy piano presentation for a real change of mood.
We then get a dash of dissonance and apparent though brief joy, for Retch – complete with another entirely different latter half for that theatrical evolution of feeling and scene.
As a closing track, Bricks is quite brilliant – a retro-electronic stomp of a beat and a few short melodic lines offer a timeless classic that naturally prompts you to turn up the volume and dive right in. Far more complex in subject matter than its outward tempo and warmth implies, the song underlines one more side to the Bad Bubble skill-set, and delivers a banger of a track that simultaneously intrigues and evocatively connects. A great way to wrap up this game-changing section of the story.
Find all things Bad Bubble here or follow on Instagram.
