Hybrid - Black Halo (2021)

Hybrid release their 6th studio album "Black Halo", as you might expect it's dark, emotive, and technologically sleek. Largely written during the turbulence of 2020, the album celebrates the perseverance and triumph of the human spirit. No matter what life throws at us, we thrive and survive.

Following on from their critically-acclaimed 2018 album "Light Of The Fearless" - an album eight years in the making which saw them execute a precision comeback with a sold out tour - "Black Halo" reaches for those sweet spots between the contrasts once again. Somewhere deep between organic and electronic, faith and escapism, strings and synths, drums and bass, fear and hope, it's a place where Hybrid can tell their boldest stories so far.

Merging Jimi Hendrix-styled guitar riffs via guitarist/vocalist Stu Morgan into Mike's sonic soundscapes and punctuated by drummer Simon Hanson's meticulous rhythms, Hybrid's music allows Charlotte's clear and pristine vocals to float and weave effortlessly. "Black Halo" focuses in on microcosms of these sounds from the brooding stormy weather of tracks like "Lost Angels" and "Seven Days" to the ghostly melodic pop of "No One Knows" and "Nails" to the icy glittering rhythm of "Come Back To Me" and to the anxiety and drive of tracks like "Flashpoint" and "Voices In The Static."

A deep emotional narrative runs through all Hybrid music. You can sense it in Charlotte's stirring songwriting and vocals, you can hear it in Mike's formidable sound design and production, you can tangibly feel it in the drama, tension and release of the arrangements, and "Black Halo" is the best example of this so far.

Originally formed in 1995 at the height of the UK-led Breakbeat era, Hybrid became leaders of an electronic movement that encompassed a dizzying litany of pinch-yourself moments and accomplishments. With a career spanning over 25 years they have amassed 35 singles, 5 albums and remixed tracks for the likes of New Order, Unkle, Idris Elba & Cypress Hill, Moby and Radiohead. The band are renowned for the cinematic approach which they apply to their production, with many of their tracks being synced to big budget television shows, films and video games including SSX Tricky, Saints Row 3, The Fast and Furious franchise, Man On Fire, and many more.

In their own right, Hybrid continue to take their art to incredible places through speakers, stage and screen, and at the heart of it all is simply this: powerful storytelling.