True — Wrapped In Air

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After releasing a string of singles that ricocheted through the blogosphere, caught a series of rewinds on the likes of BBC 1 Radio, and spread virally across the most sought after playlists on Spotify, TRUE are finally ready to release their debut LP. The opus is aptly entitled "Wrapped in Air" and the group is finally bearing it all; musically stripped down to its bare, beautiful idiosyncrasies. The record is a work of meticulous subtlety, one that goes down lightly on the first listen, but unravels its hidden meanings and secret musical passages over time.

The songs, across the board, are extremely breezy; not only delicate, but uninhibited and natural. The fact that the duo played out, quite a bit, before going into the studio might explain this to some degree, but having only two blocks of 4-5 days to record this material is the real reason behind this. This visceral presence on recordings eludes studio attempts and can usually only be captured live, but TRUE not only managed to pull it off, but they also did it under extreme time pressure. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Dani and Rico are both seasoned Jazz musicians, who just happen to have a thing for Pop and the American R&B idiom. The horn arrangements and some of the bass lines found here were recorded in Brooklyn, New York, while Rico was there for a residency program. The bass parts were put down by Antoine Katz, who plays alongside Cory Henry, the trumpet by Sean Smith and the tenor saxophone by Walter Fancourt – fellas who work with the likes of Yeasayer and Reptar.

The golden-age American R&B touch is present throughout the LP, but more so as a feeling and a general approach to capturing sensuality and intimacy on tape, rather than an emulated genre signature or a direct reference. TRUE have a style of their own, which is both timely and timeless, future and retro. It's a style derived from an open dialogue between two talented musicians, who also might or might not be writing music as a series of love letters to each
other. The love theme is omnipresent on "Wrapped in Air". And it's not a coincidence that the title of the full length implies nakedness. Dani's vocals coo, hypnotize and drive the record with their breathy presence. They also make the trickier instrumentals appear simple and approachable, and there's plenty of unexpected turns on here. Listening to the record feels as if someone was whispering to you, and only you. A lover? You can almost feel that warm breath on the back of your neck, or right behind your ear. But be aware that almost every line
on this record has a double meaning.