Tropics / Mouves

Planet Mu

Following the release of last year’s popular Soft Vision EP, which garnered press attention worldwide, Tropics evolved from a one-man project to a full band. New 12-inch Mouves bears the first recorded fruits of that development, with founder Chris Ward’s vocals taking the spotlight. Tropics’ signature summery shimmer is in full effect on the title track. With a wavering grace that combines dubby, New Order-esque bass; lush, jazzy Rhodes; stretched shoegaze vocals and droning synths, “Mouves” is a woozy and unusual combination that floors the listener with its humid atmosphere. On their remix, the hotly tipped Keep Shelly in Athens trim the song to its bare essentials, cooling the atmosphere and adding a heavy synth melody and chords borrowed from an early-’90s ambient trance track. It’s all held together with cracking, grime-like snare. Showcasing his first new material since the You Stand Uncertain LP, Falty DL breaks “Mouves” down into micro-samples and twists them through a subtle, bumping beat and bass; the effect is that of taking a microcosm from the original’s wild, tropical world and studying it in detail. Closer “Celebrate” comes off like an early, utterly joyful Madonna track extended to its limits to capture every second in rapturous, dusty slow motion. It’s a fine prelude to Tropics’ forthcoming debut album on Planet Mu, due this Autumn.

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