Bicep is the London-based duo of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson, childhood friends from Belfast who make modern, immaculately produced electronic music inspired by classic house and techno. They got their start running FeelMyBicep, a blog highlighting Italo, house, and disco deep cuts. That turned into DJ sets, a record label, and a club night. And a decade later, in 2017, they signed to Ninja Tune and released their self-titled debut album.

Since then, Bicep have worked on some of Jessie Ware’s recent music and released a new song of their own, “Atlas.” And now, they’ve officially annnounced their sophomore full-length album Isles. “We have strong mixed emotions, connected to growing up on an island,” McBriar and Andy Ferguson say of the record’s title. “Wanting to leave, wanting to return.”

New single “Apricots” is a wistful combination of glistening synths and shuffling beats surrounding prominent vocal samples of traditional Malawian singers and a 1950s performance by the Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir. The music video is from director Mark Jenkin, who recently won a BAFTA for his 2018 film Bait. Watch and listen below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Atlas”
02 “Cazenove”
03 “Apricots”
04 “Saku” (Feat. Clara La San)
05 “Lido”
06 “X “(Feat. Clara La San)
07 “Rever” (Feat. Julia Kent)
08 “Sundial”
09 “Fir”
10 “Hawk” (Feat. machìna)

Isles is out 1/22 on Ninja Tune.

CREDIT: Dan Medhurst