ABSOLUTION out (AUK, PATRICK BATEMAN, NICOLAS DUVOISIN)

It’s a rare talent that comes completely out of nowhere, but when these tracks from Auk dove out of the sky like the bird whose name they’ve taken as their own, we were taken aback by the maturity, skill and character on display. Absolution’s bouncing arpeggios keep things moving atop a chugging low-end that might seem to suffice as a track unto itself in the hands of lesser producers n but the Canadian duo have handled it with a style and grace all their own, slowly but confidently deploying analog sound design, an innate sense of dynamics, and melodic counterpoint in the service of what struck as an instant classic. Danish Tic Tac Toe don Patrick Bateman delivers a darker late-night rework, while Fantastic Friends boss Nicolas Duvoisin gears it up for the club with snares and chords brought to the forefront. Afraid To Fly is a dreamy exploration of further analog-driven grooves, while Amelia’s Dream weaves seamless elements of the first two originals into a delicately funk-infused arrangement. Tomorrow Morning closes out with haunting stabs and intersecting harmonies, laid out with a delicacy that points towards a prodigious talent. Auk is here, arriving from distance above…