Bristol’s Stumbleine may tag his music as shoegaze, chillwave and lo-fi, but the tracks he creates are lush and layered with very deep and clear production. This is truly gorgeous electronic music that isn’t beholden to the specific connotations of those genres. Ethereal piano, hazy, sampled vocals, gauzy synth lines and heavy break beat drums combine on “Ember”, a perfect example of this style, to create a simultaneously meditative and forceful sound. Stumbleline seems to enjoy exploring this dichotomy, to stunning effect.
Stumbleline has currently released 2 EPs for a total of 11 tracks on Bandcamp, all available as “name your own price” downloads. Though their texture and style are recognizably the work of the same artist, each release has a slightly different sound. The first, All for Your Smile, features more organic guitar and a more meditative structure — the drums don’t hit as hard and the vocals tend to repeat the same sample throughout with an ethereal tone. The Rose Tinted EP, which was released in July and features “Ember”, sticks to the same heavy yet calming sound mixture. Both EPs are beautiful and expertly show off the work of a new producer on the rise.