Winter appears to be well into its final thaw for another season now in the Mid-Atlantic and, to paraphrase Haruki Murakami, music is bringing a warm glow to my vision by way of some beautiful new ambient journeys which you can sample and read about here. Featuring new & upcoming releases by anthéne, Thme, and Wil Bolton, as well as a split album by From Overseas, Benoît Pioulard, Wayne Robert Thomas, Marc Ertel, Viul, and zakè.
anthéne – frailty
Order: https://homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/frailty
As anthéne, Canadian musician & sound artist Brad Deschamps has been steadily producing album after album of well-received ambient works for some time now. As prolific as he has been, he manages to imbue each record with its own distinct character while finding new shades and nuances to add to his sonic canvas. Frailty is his seventh solo outing for the venerable Home Normal label, and it finds Deschamps spinning intricate and emotive webs of sound primarily with the guitar.
Frailty was released digitally and on limited edition CD by Home Normal on March 3, 2025.
Thme – Anti Atlas
Order: https://laaps.bandcamp.com/album/anti-atlas
Thme is the musical alias of Paris-based musician Théo Martin. Anti Atlas is his first solo work in two years and first ever on vinyl & CD. At the core of Martin’s process is the use of magnetic tape which he uses to infuse his sound with a sense of fragility and vulnerability that is palpable across six delicately constructed tracks which bring to life the sentiments expressed in the words that sign off the album notes – “longing, heartfelt aspirations, and the quiet hope that keeps us reaching for what lies ahead”.
Anti Atlas was released digitally and on both limited-edition CD and vinyl LP by Laaps on January 27, 2025.
Wil Bolton – South of the Lake
Order: https://quietdetails.bandcamp.com/album/south-of-the-lake
Inspired by a spring road trip around the Honam region of Korea, South of the Lake is the latest full-length solo album from London based Wil Bolton, an artist known for weaving environmental sounds from places all around the world into his musical creations. The album centers around field recordings Bolton gathered on his trip and knitted into serene soundscapes crafted with bass, synths, and effects pedals and enhanced by objects such as singing bowls, bells, glockenspiel, and wind chimes, as well as other tactile objects.
South of the Lake was released digitally and on limited-edition CD with art print by Quiet Details on January 8, 2025.
zakè (and friends) – Koselig
Order: https://zakedrone.bandcamp.com/album/koselig
Koselig is essentially a collection of long-form compositions curated by Zach Frizzell that marks the fifth year of his Zakè Drone Recordings label and features contributions from kindred spirits in the form of From Overseas (Kévin Séry), Benoît Pioulard (Thomas Meluch), Wayne Robert Thomas, Marc Ertel, and Viul (Luke Entelis) along with Frizzell, aka zakè, himself. The six artists involved pair up to create some beautiful and truly immersive pieces that embody the essence of the music the label has nurtured as well as its sprit of collaboration.
Koselig is a distinctly Norwegian term that describes ineffable feelings of comfort, generosity, and intimacy, and can be applied equally to experiences, objects, and people. In the curation of thoughtful, collaborative work in the ambient realm, we can think of no more appropriate sentiment to convey our aims.
Koselig was released digitally and on vinyl LP by Zakè Drone Recordings on February 5, 2025.
