One of the most intriguing young acts on the UK indie scene, The Orielles do not lack ambition. Their shimmering 2020 breakthrough ‘Disco Volador’ was as confident as it was unique. The trio followed it up with the sort-of remix album ‘La Vita Olistica’, an off-kilter oddity that soundtracked the band’s short film of the same name.
From ‘Disco Volador’ onwards, The Orielles have seemed keen to prove that they aren’t just another quirky indie act. They’ve got much bigger ambitions, as evidenced by the dense, endlessly-surprising ‘Tableau’.
Still, the West Yorkshire band’s latest is a less cohesive affair than previous full-lengths. Instead of sharp, cool indie-pop we get, among many detours, lengthy electronic noodling (The Improvisation 001), Arthur Russell-like minimalism (Some Day Later) and nu-jazz rhythms (Honfleur Remembered).
When it all clicks, however, ‘Tableau’ possesses stretches of real beauty. Beam/s is a proper epic, moving from heavy guitars to arpeggiated synths and intricate strings that coalesce beautifully. Airtight plays a similar mutating trick, morphing into something wholly new around its midpoint with elegance and élan.
As a whole, ‘Tableau’ is almost too ambitious for its own good. There’s so much going on across this hour and two minutes that it can feel a little over-developed. Nonetheless, The Orielles’ musical brains are clearly on fire right now and getting caught up in the conflagration offers many pleasures.
The Orielles Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed March 22 2023 - CAMBRIDGE Mash
Thu March 23 2023 - BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Mon March 27 2023 - SOUTHAMPTON Engine Rooms
Tue March 28 2023 - OXFORD O2 Academy2 Oxford
Fri March 31 2023 - SHEFFIELD Foundry
Sat April 01 2023 - BIRMINGHAM Mill
Sun April 02 2023 - STOKE Sugarmill
Wed April 05 2023 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Sat April 08 2023 - GLASGOW Garage
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