Carefully constructed and masterfully executed, The Orchestra (For Now) announce themselves completely with ‘Wake Robin’.
Over the last year, The Orchestra (For Now) have become something of a spectacle, from online recordings touching all corners of the internet, to working with production legend Rick Rubin and buzzy slots at Green Man and End Of The Road Festival. If you’ve been stood in a London smokers, the chances are you’ll have heard the bands praises being sung and their name recommended. It’s with that it feels no exaggeration to say that the bands debut is one of the most highly anticipated of the year.
‘Wake Robin’ sits at just over 8 minutes long and takes place over multiple movements. Throughout, the musical spotlight is passed around; lead singer Joe Scarisbrick delivers a versatile vocal performance serenading us through the soft verses and breaking out into chaos at the break, all the while playing technical piano riffs that sit grounded above the havoc being played beneath, most notably the chaotic duet with Lingling Baosmith’s violin at the break. Baosmith floats throughout the piece adding joyous harmony to the sweeter moments of the song. Drummer Charlie Hancock shines in his technicality, fuelling the rhythm of the piece all the while bringing polyrhythmic madness which makes for mouth-gaping moments.
Debut singles of this quality don’t come around too often, with everything on ‘Wake Robin’ feeling so intricate and well orchestrated (pun intended) to the point where you’d forgive the year long wait to be completely necessary and fair. After a month long residency at the Windmill and two nights headlining St Pancras Old Church, the band perform at London’s ICA this coming April, their biggest headline to date.
You can find an interview with The Orchestra (For Now) inside Issue Forty-Nine of So Young. Sold out in print but the digital edition is here.
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