Floating Points, aka producer Sam Shepherd, is back with a new album on Ninja Tune.
After returning to the fray with his LesAlpx single, Sam Shepherd now delivers his first Floating Points LP since 2017’s Reflections – Mojave Desert. That album was a set of compositions in which Shepherd allowed texture and atmosphere to take the reins. Crush, by contrast, returns to the ebullient club sound of the early Floating Points EPs.
Crush is a streamlined record by Shepherd’s standards. Gone are the long, spooling song suites of Reflections – Mojave Desert or its predecessor Elaenia, and only two tracks clock in at over five minutes. The arrangements are also comparatively restrained – while jazz arkestra strings and twinkling synths are retained – these feel far more intimate than those of previous albums.
Shepherd also re-focuses on beats here, delivering his most dance floor friendly tunes in a while. Those who’ve already heard LesAlpx will be familiar with its meaty, shuffling house sound, and that style crops up a few times more. The neo-garage flex of the first Floating Points releases comes back around on tracks like Last Bloom.
There are also some moments when Shepherd explores new terrain – Bias is something approaching breakbeat while a couple of tracks towards the back end of Crush dabble in Braindance and IDM. Tying the album together are the lush interludes and jazzy asides that have long been the glue of a Floating Points release.